Oh no, not another mom blogger of a child with Down syndrome! Yes, there are lots of us out here in the blogosphere tapping away, sharing our perspective – the good, the bad, and sometimes the ugly — each with a unique story to tell. But, like the National Down Syndrome Society’s “We Are More Alike Than Different” campaign that focuses on the similarities between children with Down syndrome and their typically developing peers, Five Minutes for Special Needs brings us parents of children with special needs together for the same reason. We are more alike than different! Maybe your child is on the Autistic Spectrum or had a stroke at birth. Maybe your child has an autoimmune disorder, Cerebral Palsy, ADHD or any number of other special needs. There are all kinds. Mine happen to have Down syndrome.
I am Maggie. Mom to identical twins blessed with an extra 21st chromosome. That’s a 1 in 2,000,000 occurrence. For this audience, that statistic is no big deal. We’re all here because we have children with special needs and this is a leveled playing field. Here… everybody’s got something! And, as parents of children with special needs, our specific parenting experiences may be slightly — or drastically – different from parents whose children DON’T have special needs (though I find my “typical” kid has her own brand of special needs). HERE at 5MFSN we find solace in the fact that we are more alike than different. Here, someone understands. Someone faced this challenge before us. Someone gets it. Someone knows how we feel. Hearing someone say “Been there, done that” is comforting when you’re facing new challenges on this glorious journey. And so we share… about our special kids and our special lives!
Of course, my kids are special and my angle is unique (isn’t every body’s?). My personal twist is that I blog about my dogged pursuit of happiness while raising my 3 children. I write about the special and not-so-special trials and tribulations that challenge my happiness and about how my stubbornly bright and sun-shiny attitude (note the sarcastic font) keeps an everlasting smile on my face and a bounce in my step (same font). So I’m bringing my positive attitude, warped sense of humor (sorry) and stories of my always-entertaining, mostly–angelic kids (never a sarcastic font!) to 5MFSN to let you know I’ve been there and done that lots of times and it doesn’t make me a bad person (LOL). It makes me a Mom of children with special needs. And it makes me more like you than different.
So join us here each week my friends you’re sure to get a smile (oops, Gilligan’s Isle tune in my head). What I meant is I hope you’ll join me on Saturday afternoons for a Walk on the Happy Side… here at Five Minutes for Special Needs! (You sung that last part to the tune of Gilligan’s Isle, didn’t you? )
Visit Maggie at Take A Walk On The Happy Side.