I Accept That My Child is Special Needs

With so much current day metal awareness you wouldn't think it difficult to accept the truth that one's child is special needs.

I am and always have been an advocate for mental health and awareness so, it comes with great alarm that it took me 8 years to embrace my Daughter's circumstances.

We attended medical appointments, partook in behavioral groups, read books and articles, met with teachers and counsellors, and filled out form after form after...

I thought, because I was aware of my Daughter's struggles and diagnoses that I accepted it. I thought.

I was wrong.

After creating a new Instagram page, I began viewing mental health tags. One day, while writing in regards to my kids situation, I noticed that I was shuffling around the use of the phase, "special needs"- my Daughter is fine, it's society that isn't, I seemed to think.

Then, I began shifting through childhood memories of my Uncle who is, "mentally retarded" (as was his generalized diagnoses those many years ago). That is when I suddenly looked through different eyes. I saw that my child's is much more delayed than these letter combination titles allud to.

I wonder if social acceptance is also watering down the severity of heath. I wonder if media in its many forms is glamourizing mental and physical illness.

I know that for myself, I see mental illness as a standard part of society. It is everywhere. We are everywhere.

If there's a red dot amongst black dots, the red stands out. If all or many of the dots are red, the reds aren't so easily identified. My Daughter is a red dot and, I was in denial.

It's still strange to me but, at her age of twelve (12) I'm now able say and accept that my baby isn't just a little different; my Daughter is special needs and, I love her profoundly.

💕🌻