Being a Special Needs Mom on Mother’s Day

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day. According to Wikipedia, Mother’s Day is:

“A celebration honoring mothers and motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society.”

But this year Mother’s Day means a little bit more to me. This year I am a mom to not one, but to two beautiful kids. And this year not only did I become a mother again, I became a special needs mom all over again.

Being a mom is great by itself, but being a special needs mom not only means being a mom, it also means…

• Being an advocate.
• Being a therapist.
• Being a teacher.
• Being a researcher of diagnoses and diseases
• Being an IEP professional.
• Being a driver to therapies and specialist appointments.
• Carrying around medical evaluations and records because you never know when you are going to need them.
• Having your heart break while watching your child go through tests, procedures and surgeries.
• Being so exhausted that your body literally aches at the end of each day.

But inspite of it all, being a special needs mom is SO rewarding. Mother’s Day means more to me being a special needs mom because of all the things I get to see and experience:

• Each and every new word learned is a celebration.
• Hearing how your child is progressing in therapy are some of the happiest moments.
• Getting to work with amazing therapists who love your child and want the best for them.
• Hearing, “I love you” for the first time from your speech-delayed child.
• Watching your child ride a bike, knowing that months earlier it was an impossible task.
• Seeing your food-adversive child eat a new food for the first time.
• Hearing the good news that your child is finally gaining weight after months of weight checks and hospital visits.
• Seeing your child meet milestones that they weren’t meeting before due to therapy and your hard work.
• Having them be your heroes because they never give up.

So if you are a special needs mom this Mother’s Day, here’s what I want you to know:

YOU are special. YOU are loved. YOU matter. YOU are a hero. No matter what you go through you keep on going. I admire you, your children admire you and one day they will say thank you for all you’ve done. Don’t give up. YOU are a good enough mother, you are always good enough for your children.