From the article: Ten Reasons to Give Thanks for Your Child With Special Needs
I've shared some reasons to give thanks for children with special needs -- now it's your turn! What makes you thankful about your child, or about your experience of special-needs parenting? Whether serious, silly, or sentimental, your thanks here will be a public testimony to our children's worth, something the wider world sometimes has trouble appreciating. Share Your Gratitude
for all the things he isn't
- My sweet boy was born two months early with spina bifida, within his first month of life he had his first surgery, a shunt... followed by many years of surgeries, for legs , feet, g-tube ,scoliosis... he is also ASD and has low blood sugar due to lack of growth horomone...and with all these things that he is... what he isnt is like any other child.. he so quiet, passive and doesnt want anything at all except for my love.. no new toys.. expensive gagets for him,, just a book and his mommy.While other kids cry and scream and are hyper .. mines so sweet, and calm. doesnt like noise or toys and things.. and I really apprecaite all the things he isnt..
- —Guest Adrienne McLellan
Grateful for true success
- I feel grateful that God has chosen us to be the parents of our two autistic children. I feel as though there is this great opportunity to nurture them and watch them fulfill their potential. I have learned to appreciate that there is more than one definition of "success". With all the focus on academic success and material wealth, my children remind me every day about the value of kindness -- both from them and from others. They are successful because they have good hearts and they lift up those around them. I feel blessed and honored to be their mom and I am a better person through my experience with them.
- —Guest Linda
Unexpected Gratitude
- Being a mom of an autistic son puts life in perspective, often in unexpected ways. I am grateful my son knows no bigotry or racism. He has no learned "hang-ups" and he and his best friend kiss each other goodbye everyday. He teaches me what has true importance and what is a waste of time and energy. More often than not, it is NOT what is expected or revered in this world.
- —Guest James' Mom
Sharing the Load
- As we have aged and our son with Down Syndrome has matured (he's 32 now), we have three adults living together, mostly peacefully. Walker unloads the dishwasher as soon as it stops, always puts his own dishes in, loads and unloads and puts away my groceries, feeds the animals, scoops the poop and never misses taking out the garbage on Wednesday nights. And...best of all...he not only doesn't forget, he NEVER complains. He is a true blessing.
- —Guest Janie
Thankful for a lifetime of hope
- If not for my son's challenges, I would just be another mom gossiping about others on the playground. His life has taught me to have faith that moves mountains, and hope for the future for kids like him.
- —Guest Donna Gin
Peace, Love, Joy to Infinity
- I am so grateful to be able to appreciate a quiet moment -- I absorb it fully. I am so grateful for my 10-year-old son, John, who's made this so. His needs are a great challenge to deal with each day but with each day, I'm given the opportunity to learn much greater lessons -- and they bring me infinite peace, love and joy. I am grateful.
- —Guest Lori
His sweet laugh!
- My Matthew has the sweetest, happiest laugh I've ever heard, and I hear it a lot. He's so loving and gentle ... at 10, he'd rather play with Winnie the Pooh and Veggie Tales than any violent action figures. All of his teachers adore him ALMOST as much as we do. He's a beautiful boy, and while I worry about his future, his laughing and playfulness keep me grounded in the moment.
- —Guest LizzieJean
A Place in This World
- We have learned far more from our son's special-needs journey than we ever could have imagined, and we are thankful for every day we have him in our lives. When he was in neonatal intensive care, I cried in the shower one morning begging God to just give us a chance to love and care for him. Fourteen years later, we have had the privilege of doing just that. I am inspired to live a better life because we know and love him. He is our hero!
- —Needly
The seed of change
- My son Lucas has Down syndrome. His birth brought our family into a whole new world where learning is not about getting As or Bs but learning from the heart. We live in Argentina, where integration to normal schools is almost impossible in small towns. We have been able to change that in Merlo, where we live. Lucas has been the seed of change, of change of heart, of priorities, of integration.
- —Guest Veronica Tassara
Our son has a HUGE HEART!
- We had our daughter in 1979, normal child growing up, athletic, easy to discipline. Then we had our big-hearted son in 1991. He has ADHD, gets inpatient quickly. Tries to the best of his ability with academics in a private school. On the high-school football team, and always is cheering up the team. He has a huge heart. And one thing I have learned about him, we all can learn from him. If we were all the same, it would be a boring world. God gave us to him for a reason! Sometimes we wonder why? Then we're not to question God. He is very special in his own way, if we could just work on him respecting us more. Yes, he struggles in school, those of you who have kids who just get it in school, you're blessed. Until you walk in someone else's shoes, don't judge. I can say kids in high school and the teachers are so wonderful with him. He always tries to the best of his ability to bring other kids up when they are down.
- —mudpuppy62
She makes me so proud!
- From the moment my daughter was born, my life has never been the same. She has issues that no one, to this date, can explain. She is not even 4 yet, and we have gone through things with her that no one in our family has ever gone through. Yet she still manages to prove her doctors and everyone else wrong. She walked when they said she wouldn't walk yet. She learned to eat on her own when I thought she would never eat by mouth. At 7 months old, God gave her back to us. So I know that because of her strong spirit, she will also talk one day.
- —gabbypink
Part of my destiny
- I have always struggled to know what was intended for me in this life. When my son was born, I knew he had something to do with it. What an understatement! In my pursuit to find answers, help and understanding for my son's autism, I am discovering the answers to my own problems and that question of what I was meant to do. In helping to educate people about autism, I have learned skills in things like behaviour analysis, social expectations, handling toxic people and learning the joy of the moment all over again. It has been a life-changing experience.
- —Guest Linda
A Stronger Bond
- We've spent so much time together, her and I. When her SPD (sensory processing disorder) is bad, we spend a lot of time doing OT together at home. She likes to be held, so we watch TV or read snuggled on the couch together. I like to do things with her that boost her flagging self-confidence. Although most everyone who meets her falls for her smile, sometimes I feel that my husband and I are the only ones who really understand her. I feel that we have a closer mother/daughter relationship than many because of her disability, and while I don't wish the SPD on anyone, I'm glad my daughter and I are closer because of it.
- —bugwoman27
Learning to appreciate the moment
- Many parents on their journey to find the meaning of their life end up on a spiritual path. Often that path includes the practice of staying focused on the moment in order to appreciate the richness of life as it's happening. My son Jason is THERE! He gets intense pleasure from little things and doesn't worry about tomorrow. I'm learning to be more like him.
- —Guest Susan
Unconditional love
- One of the things I am most thankful for is the unconditional love of my son. I have seen children bully him, adults ignore him, but his response is to continue trying to be friends. He loves everyone regardless of their hardness and/or ignorance. If everyone could live by this rule, the world would be a greater place. We all could learn a lot from watching our children whom we call special needs when really they are the ones offering so many special things.
- —Guest Karen
An excuse to Google.
- I love research and my children give me plenty of reasons to look for solutions. It is amazing how these searches yield some great ideas and opportunities. On a more serious note this whole experience has given me a much bigger picture of mercy, grace and understanding. There are so many people who have come along side us to encourage, help, and pray. It has increased my understanding of who God is and how much He cares. I would never wish this on anyone -- but I do feel my faith has grown as a result. I am thankful to have walked down this path.
- —Guest Hannah
