Have you created room to take up space in your own life?

Uncategorized May 05, 2025

One of the skills a parent with a child with special needs perfects is advocacy.

Just because laws, regulations, services, and programs exist doesn’t mean treatment and services are handed over on a silver platter.

Reality can be the opposite.

You often fight tooth and nail to get what your child needs.

Medical and educational service delivery becomes and ongoing part of life.

Even when you lose a percentage of these battles you never give up. After all, you’re really the only one going to bat for your child.

But when it comes to your own needs, you tend to give yourself the short end of the stick.

You often don’t get enough rest or support with daily responsibilities of parenting and running a household.

This comment Shilpi gave on another of my posts says it all:

— “We are allowed to take up space in our own lives, even in hard seasons.”

It was in response to a story of how my mom committed to reading half an hour a day, regardless of what happened to us kids.

The thing is, when Mom was older and using a walker, she felt guilty for taking up too much space because of the walker.

Even though she put herself back in the equation decades earlier, childhood conditioning lasts a lifetime.

It’s never a minute too early to break psychological chains that bind us. Chains tied to worthiness.

If your child has a complex medical condition or disability, it’s important to use some of that advocacy muscle you’ve developed on yourself.

If you create room for yourself in your life, life will be easier and better.

If you’re an ally, what can you do to help lighten their load?

If you need guidance on taking better care of yourself so you can take even better care of your child, let’s chat about New Normal Coaching.

#Autism
#CerebralPalsy
#DownSyndrome
#RareGeneticDiseases
#DisabilityRights
#HumanInclusion
#DifferentlyAbled
#SpecialNeedsFamilies
#LifeCoaching