In the beginning of my SAHM journey my sister recommended that I join a Mom’s Bible Study that was held at her church, it was open to the public (meaning you didn’t have to be a member of that particular church) and I used to go faithfully. It was just what I needed; it helped me cope with everyday life and how making my faith stronger would help me in my motherhood journey. What I didn’t realize is all that it would help with in the future, but God sure doesn’t make mistakes when prepping us for something that is coming in the future.
I no longer attend the Bible Study, but the one thing that I learned through that season is the village that is needed for Moms.
Yes, “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child,” but Mom’s MUST have a village as well! Especially Special-Need Moms!
So I am going to share who you should have in your village as a Special-Needs Mom…
Of course, you need support of your family and friends! That goes with out saying! Friends and Family may not truly understand what goes into being a mom of a special-needs child but as long as you have their support and they are “there,” that’s really all you need from them!
Therapists You Can Trust…Believe me this isn’t an easy process, and if you find one the first go round that loves your child and your child loves them…KEEP THEM CLOSE! Emma has been through quite a few therapist and now I know what it looks like when she LOVES her therapist versus her “going through the motions.” And sometimes you may have a therapist that truly loves the child that doesn’t provide services your child needs, keep them around as well because they can help serve as a resource to find the services your child needs, or a friend when you need to ask questions, or when you need that personal and professional opinion all wrapped into one.
Educators…luckily I grew up in a family of educators, I work in Higher Education and I am surrounded by a couple of educators at my church. This comes in handy when its something that I don’t understand or if I need a second set of eyes to look at IEP’s or run something by them. Depending on what aspect of education you work in, its always helpful to have someone to cross-reference with. And a lot of the times they can give you the teacher point-of-view and a personal educator point-of-view.
Mom Friends…as you get older finding new friends really isn’t at the top of your list (just being honest). But the reality is you need Mom Friends at least a couple of them. And its a BONUS if you have Mom Friends that are special-needs moms too. They truly will understand all that you go through as Mom. They understand when you need to vent about therapist or if you are searching for a service, or even that anxiety that comes along with preparing for an IEP meeting. They truly get understand what you are venting about and can possibly help you come up with a solution since they are familiar with a lot of the processes you are dealing with. Having mom friends that have special-needs children is also helpful when it comes to scheduling play dates. A lot of times you are able to meet these friends from your child’s school or even in the waiting room of therapy offices or doctors offices.
Prayer Partners…now everyone knows I pray about everything. But its better when you have a friend or family member that you can call and say can you pray for me, or let’s pray together! This is MANDATORY for moms in general! Outside of your spouse and family there needs to be someone you can go to that is able to pray freely for you!
Support Group Friends…many times these are friends that you have in a certain setting. I am in a lot of online support groups and I usually talk to these moms specifically for the needs of my child. There are a few that I talk to on a regular basis but many are online friends. I don’t usually go into anything personal with them besides the needs of my child and they’re the same way.
