I was watching a movie the other night. The story line was about a young couple expecting a baby.

They came home from their first doctor’s appointment and when they walked through the front door, the first thing they said to their family was “well, we’re lucky, ‘it’s’ perfect, perfectly healthy.”

I was glad that the expectant couple felt fortunate that their baby was going to be healthy.  Who wouldn’t be?

However, my thoughts immediately considered all the of the families who have a baby that’s not perfectly healthy, who may have an extraordinary health issue, or a disability.  How are they supposed to feel?

It’s true, life can be extremely difficult.  As a parent of a child who had multiple disabilities, I certainly understand the emotions and challenges of the situation.  You often feel alone and don’t know where to turn.  You can’t believe this is happening and ask yourself over and over again, “why is this happening to me and to my child”.  “I never planned for this.”

Nevertheless, I have said it before, and I will say it again, that oddly and because of our circumstances, “we’re the lucky ones.”

special-needs-child

There is so much to learn about and most parents, myself included, have said that they come to realize an inner strength that they didn’t know existed.  We grow to appreciate that life doesn’t always go as planned, and to know the importance friends and to cherish family. We learn so much about health care and social inclusion.  We recognize gaps and share our stories.  We advocate to try to make life better for our children and for other families.

I know that I was inspired to work hard, dream big and I discovered a passion for helping others.
Can we stop setting people up for disappointment by thinking that we’re lucky if we have a “perfect” child and unlucky if we don’t?

If we can celebrate and enjoy every child and be happy about what is, rather than what was supposed to be, the journey will be amazing your parenting experience will be beyond your wildest dreams!

What is perfect anyway?

Every child is unique.  Can we celebrate that?