To a Special Mum

I am a mother to three beautiful children; two of them have an assortment of additional or 'special' needs. I sometimes feel like I'm treated differently because of this. Some people think I'm special in some sort of supermum type way with the kids, some others think I'm special because I have to 'deal' with a lot because of the kids. I hear "I don't know how you do it," quite a bit.

You don't need to look far down my blog to see that the kids additional needs adds pressure to our lives. Missing a weekly ballet lesson is not the same as missing the therapy appointment you've had lined up for 6 months.  Sometimes small things have huge a impacts on the family and my concerns about the future can seem pretty serious.  But coping (or not) with these things aren't what makes me special to my kids.

I have bought a card for my mum that said 'To a special mum' on several occasions. My mum is amazing, a one of a kind that showers me in the kind of love and care that only my mother can. And that makes her special. To my kids, I'm not special because some of them have special needs, I'm special because I'm their mum.

I am mum before therapist, mum before dietitian and mum before engineer. And although these roles are currently an integral part of my job as their mum, I'll still be their special mum when these roles change.  I'll always look out for them, support them, fight for them, celebrate their achievements, comfort their sorrows and love them unconditionally like no one else can. Just like my mum did.

So to my special mum who taught me what the phrase means, thank you, and (although a little early) Happy Mothers Day. 

Related Links
Our blog - Talking to other mums: Dinosaur and Kitten chat
Our blog - I don't know how you do it
Our blog - Are my Children in Need of someone better?