I've really met some wonderful children with disabilities and wonderful families who love them unconditionally.
These children are unique and this uniqueness makes them extraordinary.
I don't believe the popular saying that 'special' (god I really dislike that saying, after all they are just children, yes they have to overcome more than others, but their wants/hopes/dreams are the same as other children's...but I suppose there must BE a describing word, and as words go it's at least kinda nice.) children are only given to families strong enough to cope with them. I think that takes away from the truth; I believe that we (the families of disabled people) aren't given these children because we are better equipped to care for them than others so by association stronger than others. I believe that we are MADE stronger by having these children.
Personally having my son has allowed me to open the door to a secret world I'd otherwise never have been allowed to see; I've met some amazing individuals that I'd never otherwise had the privilege to meet and I DO believe that parents of children with special needs DO have a beautiful strength that you might not see elsewhere but that is because of their child.
I am fed up of seeing disability portrayed with sadness in the media. Yes of course there are sad times, but in the majority being the parent of a child with disabilities has enriched my life it's brought us happiness. We don't sit indoors every day feeling sorry for ourselves, our lives are not tainted by sadness. We don't need anybody's sympathy because we're certainly not feeling sorry for ourselves. If anything we are just getting on with our daily routine like everybody else. I'm always shocked when peoples offer me there sympathy what my boy was born with cerebral palsy (the main culprits of this are GPs) I feel like saying 'oh thank-you, and I'm really sorry your son is ginger.' (To me both are on par in the ridiculous-things-to-say-to-a-parent stakes 😂)
I for one plan to teach my son that 'yes you're disabled and yes that means you'll face challenges in life that other people won't but each and every person in the world has their cross to bare. Others might be depressed, have Down's syndrome, be overweight, underweight, deaf, blind, or an arsehole...frankly I'd rather be any of the above than an arsehole.' (Can we get an arsehole test please? Now THERE'S a test I could get on board for!) I will teach him to laugh in the face of adversity instead of feeling sorry for himself. I think that we show children how to view themselves, and if we show them that disabilities are something to be sad about then sad they will be.
Of course there are varying degrees of disability and there ARE those that will suffer more but us as a society playing god with lives scares the absolute shit out of me. Do you think were we to ask these individuals that they would chose never to exist?
I'm not against termination as a thing, don't think for a minute I'm giving a pro life speech here, I think that we are lucky to live in a society where we given a choice, but it is the act of aborting a child just because he or she is disabled that scares me...
anyway...this was never supposed to be a huge speech....I just wanted to say; a world without variety is a scary thing, and is not a place I want to live.
#itsbeenemotinal #thankyouandgoodnight #solongandthanksforallthefish
*gets off soap box*
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