New Year’s Resolutions for Parents of Children with Disabilities
As the new year begins, many of you will be taking some time to reflect on new year’s resolutions. While making my list, I realized that there are certain goals that I can make that would be very helpful to me as the mother of two sons with autism.
Motherhood is a beautiful journey of love and adventure. It’s highs and lows, wonderful surprises and sometimes difficult challenges. My sons have autism, but that certainly doesn’t change the love I have for them!
Autism has often led to stressors beyond our family’s control. If I’m not careful, it can lead to high levels of stress, depression, anxiety, mental health issues and a decline in my overall physical health. As a matter of fact, there are studies that found that mothers of persons with autism often experience chronic stress similar to that of combat soldiers!
Parenting a child with disabilities can be difficult, but there is hope! Here are six new year’s resolutions that can be helpful to special needs parents at almost any stage of the journey.
- Make YOUR health a priority. This includes your physical AND mental health. Exercise on a regular basis. Stay on top of your preventative care. See a counselor if you find yourself having a difficult time coping with life. It can be so easy to focus on our children and their needs, but if we aren’t taking care of ourselves, we put our children at risk.
- Schedule self-care opportunities on a regular basis. Watch a good movie, get a new hairdo or buy something nice for yourself. It’s okay to treat yourself to nice things every once in a while!
- Invest in yourself. Go back to school. Start a new hobby. Volunteer in your local community. Have a healthy outlet outside of your children. I know this may be difficult to do when balancing the needs of your children, but it can be done!
- Get comfortable with asking for help. Reach out to family and friends in your time of need. Find a regular babysitter so you can have a break more often. Care.com is a helpful resource for finding sitters experienced with taking care of children with special needs. Seek out camps for children with disabilities and respite care opportunities. Talk to someone at your place of worship about your specific needs and ask how they can help.
- Create a special needs tribe. Connect with other parents of special needs children. If you already have a special needs tribe, be intentional about developing those relationships. It’s easier to share with people who know what you are going through and have tried and true ways to deal with common situations that occur.
- Develop a relationship with an adult that has the same disability as your child. Follow disability activists and advocates on social media. Learn from them and their perspective on life. Their viewpoint might actually change the way you view your child and for the better!
I hope these ideas have been helpful to you! Is there anything you would add to this list? What are your new year’s resolutions?
