In the coming months I am going to be working on compiling a list of places that I have found, and been told of, that are excellent for the special needs kids in our community. I’m excited to be able to share more about these places and people with all of you.
In conversation with others when it’s brought up that I’m a single mother, my son is special needs and I have another young child, I’m finding more often than not I’m met with shocked looks and head shaking. The comments “I have no idea how you’re doing it! You’re doing a great job but I don’t know how you do it!” I usually smile and say thank you and reply I’m doing my best. Here’s the honest truth, I am doing it because I have a wonderful mother and great support system.
I’ve realized that in order for you to learn more about Emmett and myself I should explain how I manage it and the mother who taught me how.
My mom is a wonderful woman. She’s my best friend and biggest champion. Growing up, I struggled with anxiety and learning difficulties. My mom jumped in right away and started gathering information to learn about ways to help me. She never let me use my disabilities as an excuse. It was just another factor of who I was; she loved me through the frustration, the anger, the tears, and the bitterness. She helped me discover my abilities and cultivate them. I have always been pretty shy and prefer to be on the edge of the crowd. As much as I still want to stand on the edge, my purpose, now, is to stand up and raise awareness for my son, as well as others like him. Obviously, she’s cheering me on and helping encourage me.
My mom, or momma, as I affectionately call her, has always put her family first.
She has stood strong at life’s difficult times. I’ve watched her handle challenges and pain with grace, beauty, and courage. No matter what has come at her, she’s met the challenge and tackled it. Sometimes she’s done it with tears in her eyes but her head was always held high.
She put her life on hold to take care her parents in their time of sickness and then death. When I came to her, broken-hearted, with her grandson and a divorce on the way, she began looking for a new home for us to not only rebuild our lives, but also thrive. We weren’t functioning as a broken family, but a complete family unit determined to help raise a wonderful little boy and provide him with all the opportunities he needs to succeed.
She was the one I wanted when I struggled to bring Emmett into the world.
My favorite picture (right) is her holding my hand in the middle of a painful contraction. I swear she was transferring her strength to me. She was there for me through my painful divorce. She has worked diligently with Emmett and always helped him thrive, even if that meant getting the outside help he needed. Just like with me, she did the research, joined the groups, and read the books.
So, you want to know how I’m able to do it? I can only point to her, because of the example she sets day in and day out. There’s nothing we wouldn’t do for our children, and there are no sacrifices we wouldn’t make. The love we have, as moms, is never ending. I’m the mother my son needs me to be because of her.
