To the Moms Who Raised Their Children With Disabilities Before the Internet Existed

Imagine for a moment you just received your child’s diagnosis. There is no world wide web, no emails, no Facebook, no Instagram, no other social media and no smart phones. Imagine there is little support and awareness. The stigma around disability is still rife and therapies and services are not readily available.

Imagine the isolation, the fear and the worry.

This has been the reality for so many parents who have come before us. It’s not uncommon to hear stories where they were encouraged to put their child in a home before even considering any possible potential.

Imagine.

I often reflect on the mamas who were raising children with additional needs before my time and wonder how on earth they did it.

To those mamas:

Thank you for leading the way for so many of us through a time that must have been incredibly challenging.

Thank you for being brave enough to choose love over fear, and for raising your child with the limited resources you had.

Thank you for moving mountains for your child in a world where people did not understand their brilliance.

Thank you for reminding us what is possible within ourselves as women and mothers.

Today we are blessed to be living in an age where technology advances provide a whole new level of potential for our children. Although it can still be a very isolating experience and social media can make us feel like we are not “doing enough” for our child. So we need to be wise with how we use it and know that whatever we are doing it is already enough.

So I wanted to remind you mama of three key points:

1. Reach out for support.

2. Stay open to receive help (without any other mama guilt).

3. We are not meant to do this on our own.

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Thinkstock image by LSOphoto