Is there a Secret to Parenting Special Needs Children?Starting Your Journey Raising Special KidsParenting Special Needs Children OMG! Are you kidding? Is there a secret to parenting special needs children? I can barely make it through the day! How on earth am I supposed to parent my special needs child? First, you need to know that you can do this. There is hope and you can make this work. Great. How? Magic? No, unfortunately there is no magic. Just as your child didn't come with an instruction manual either. ( OK - mine didn't:) Raising special kids does NOT mean you can't have a happy and productive family life. It does NOT have to mean a life of misery and sacrifice. Or one of guilt replaced occasionally by one or more of the stages of grief (Not MY child...). Your child is first of all just that - your child. Do not define your child (or yourself) by your child's disability. My daughter tells people "My name is Cosette and I have Autism - that means I am very imaginative". So true. Find the positive, find their strengths; nurture and encourage them. Find something positive everyday (EVERYDAY) about your child and yourself. This one little exercise can make all the difference. The more you do this, the easier it will be. Find out as much as you can about your child's disability. Knowledge is strength. This will be the foundation to parenting special needs children. Find and surround yourself with people who support you, your child, and your family. These are called "natural supports" and will be the structure that helps you raising special kids to get through each and every day. Find out as much information as you can on parenting, especially parenting special needs children. Trust me, the more that you can learn from others mistakes, the less trial and error you will have to experience for yourself. Yes, I know. Each child is unique and different so that something that worked for one parent may not work for you - or you may have to modify the technique for your child. It is still much easier, not to mention faster, than trying to figure it all out on your own. You can never learn enough about raising kids, and parenting kids with special needs definitely increases that learning curve. The links below is the place to get started learning about parenting special needs kids.
Parenting Skills
For some good ideas if your little ones are still infants, Heather has a great site on early childhood designed especially for mothers. Parenthood starts here! A good site for parents raising special kids with autism by my friend Kathy Medina is called: Parenting kidsResources advice and activities to keep your kids busy and active.Homeschooling worksheets, games, puzzles, recipes, tips on gardening with kids, pets,scavenger hunts and more. Janet Allison has some excellent tips for you on parenting that go right along with the ideas of positive parenting. Visit Janet at: Claudette has a very interesting site and here is a page on Parenting Style and Finances that I think you will enjoy:
Single Moms Dating-Parenting Style
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