I attended a gathering of parents with special needs children a couple of nights ago. There are a lot of things stirring in our community that bore discussion, but this phrase, spoken by one of the Dads there stuck in my head.
We all want the same things…
Our children may be different in various ways from each other and from their peers, but as parents we all want the same things…
- We want our children to be happy.
- We want our families to be whole and functional.
- We want our children to be as healthy as possible.
- We want our children to have friends.
- We want our children be eager to go to school because it is a supportive environment.
- We want our children to achieve their goals, whatever those goals might be.
- We want our children to reach their full potential.
- We want our children to be part of a community that cares.
I think our job as special needs parents is to help other people understand that this is what we want, and that it is possible.
Feel free to add to the list by commenting below.