6 Things I Never Need to Hear as a Mom to a Child With a Disability:
6 Things I Never Need To Hear Again As A Mom To A Child With A Disability:
1. Have you tried…
For some reason people who have never have had the experience love to tell parents of children with disabilities how to get their kid to sleep, eat, behave, etc. For the record, I’ve tried anything and everything you can think of and some things you probably can’t.
2. My neighbor, sister, second cousin twice removed had _______ and now is a doctor, lawyer, ruler of the world.
Excellent.
Glad to hear it. My kid probably won’t become any of those things, but that doesn’t mean her life has any less meaning than anyone else’s.
3. I would never…
Whether it’s never giving their kids meds, sending them to a school for kids with disabilities, putting them in an inclusion class, or a million other things that seem completely foreign to someone whose kid doesn’t have a disability. Glad to hear you’ve never had to experience something so out of your realm. That you’ve never had to do things you never thought you’d have to. Good for you.
4. What did you do to cause your child to have the disability they have?
Short of saying something like, I special ordered her from DisabilitiesRUs, (and yes I have used this line) I never know how to answer this question.
5. Whose side of the family has this?
Again this one has always shocked me. My husband and I have had fun saying, obviously my spouses because my family is perfect, but not everybody gets the joke so we don’t use that one anymore.
6. Why did you have more kids if you already had a kid with a disability?
I admit that I’ve sometimes said the truth.That we didn’t know the extent of our child’s issues. After having two babies with the help of a fertility specialist we didn’t know we could actually get pregnant the old fashioned way. But in actuality, it’s nobody’s business. You could just say that. Or pretend you don’t understand the question and make them repeat it a few times till they get the hint.
