All I ask for is Acceptance

I don't think I ask for much.  All I want is for my daughter to be accepted the way that she is.  No stares, no rude comments, just accept her for who she is...Is that to much to ask of people?  A big problem is the unknown to people.  You are not going to catch her disability from her... it is not contagious.  Your children don't have to stay away from her.  Teach your children to be understanding that people are different.  Some kids have glasses, others have braces, some have red hair and lots of freckles...it is what make the world go round.  So why should MY child have to stand out?  Why should MY child get picked on?

Thankfully, my daughter doesn't understand when someone is making fun of her or being down right rude...I do...and it hurts me.  I actually saw a post on Facebook today from someone recently who was saying how hard it was getting because of the kids who are steering clear of her son and comments that had been made.  It is so sad that the world can be so cruel.  My heart was breaking for her because...well...I have been there.

I was out to lunch with a friend today who brought up a very good point...It is not just our children that we yearn to have acceptance...but also acceptance for us.  We want to be accepted making the choices and sacrifices we make as special needs parents.  We don't want to be judged because we are trying special diets or get ear muffs for our sensory children.  We don't want to be judged if we need to leave a party early to avoid a meltdown or to simply decline an invitation altogether.  I never really thought about it until she said it out loud.  We want acceptance for us...I can't believe I never realized it before. I am always so concerned about my daughter I never think about how I am feeling about me.

It is hard to be us...it is hard to work full time, come home and have to keep the house clean, dinner made, homework done, children bathed (and I am talking about both moms and dads).  They say being a working mom is like having 2 full time jobs but now add a special needs child into the mix and it is now 3 full time jobs.

So for all of you who are reading this I ask you one thing...please accept us...accept us for who we are and what we do for our children.  Accept us whether you agree with us or not.  It may not have been the life we had planned on but it is the life that we have been given and we are doing our very best.  Be tolerant and don't take it personal when we don't call you back or if we are not able to make it to a "girls night out".  Sometimes I am just to tired to go, sometimes I don't have the money...sometimes I just don't want to.

Please accept me for being me...a parent of a child who has special needs.

Until Next time...

Jenn
thelongislandspecialparent@yahoo.com