Whether a child has a developmental issue, physical disability, or sensory impairment, parenting them is a tough job. Parents of such children go through a storm of complex emotions while managing to take special care of their children along with other responsibilities. Every parent is worried about providing their children with what’s best for them, but with a child with a disability, the fears are magnified.
Raising a child with a disability can come with unique challenges, including the mental stress and physical exhaustion of family caregiving. The feeling of guilt may arise, questioning oneself if you could have prevented your child’s disability. Anxiety and stress can set in seeing your child in pain or struggling with their condition. One may even feel angry or abandoned if they believe they're not getting enough support from other family members.
Additionally, it can be challenging to balance work, home, and caregiving responsibilities while taking care of a child with a disability. You may not get enough sleep trying to manage all that, which would only lead to a higher stress level. If you have other children, you’ve to ensure that their needs are also met along with your self-care.
Along with all the challenging responsibilities comes the duty to advocate for your child on numerous stages. From classrooms to social events, parents need to speak up for their children and ask for accommodation. To advocate for your child effectively, it’s essential to educate yourself about the disability. You, along with your child, may have to experience judgments from people who are unable to understand the disability. From random stares from strangers to insults from the known ones, it feels like you must shield your child from the world.
Parenting a child with a disability isn’t a linear path. It’s a roller-coaster journey filled with a suitcase of emotions that may get hard to carry as time passes. Therefore, leaning on your support networks to cross the challenging parenting path while caring for your child and your needs is essential. Together with a supportive network, we can build a society with enhanced consideration for children with disability and make the parenting job a little easier.
