Try not to get discouraged when the goals you’ve been working toward have not completely been accomplished. Sometimes life throws us so many curve balls that a goal we thought would take a few months to achieve has now taken years. Though that can be extremely discouraging, don’t give up!
One of the best ways to renew your momentum is to acknowledge how much closer you are to achieving the goal than you used to be. Don’t forget, baby steps are still steps. Keep going… I believe in you.
Life sometimes leaves you questioning reality. You’re told to do good in high school so that you can get into a good college, and then do well in college so that you can get a good job. Next you’re told to embrace the entry level position offered right out of college so that you can build your resume. However, after more than a decade of skill set building and networking and you’re still not where you want to be in life you begin to wonder what went wrong. Have your dreams turned into delusions?
As the parent of a special needs child, I’ve had to modify the route I planned to take to get to my dreams but I didn’t think I would have to forfeit them altogether. The reality is that spending 9 hours a day in an office does not work for me because I have to get my son on and off the school bus 2 hours before most jobs want you to leave. Of course I am always looking for freelance projects and jobs that will allow you to work a portion of the day from, but they are difficult to find.
Am I to assume that the “Good Life” is reserved for people that don’t have special needs children? Hmmm… I didn’t get that memo when I was racking up student loan debt. I did read in the somewhere that “the race does not go to the swift, but to those who endure to the end.” On that note, I’ll continue to try to put together the pieces of this dream that used to be crystal clear as I don’t want them to shatter and be lost forever.
The topic of resources and the lack there of for parents never seems to get old. America has several things that it proudly brags about being(Land of the Free, Home of the Brave, etc.) It sure would be nice if they would add “Most Thoughtful Country” to the list. It’s definitely not a stretch to say that if you are a hard worker, you can make a good life for your family. However, the two key words are work and family. So with that being said, parents need more resources and options for child care so that can work and provide a good life for their family.
The evidence of this lack of support is always more visible in the summer time when children are out of school for as long as 2 months. Summer camps are typically a primary resource for parents and are great while they last. However, summer camps usually end 3 weeks before the school year begins leaving parents with limited options for safe and reliable child care.
I wish the elected officials that beg for our votes during election season studied their constituents needs more closely. People need more than tax breaks to live comfortably. Furthermore, life goes in cycles. Parents work to provide quality lives for their children so that they can in turn have meaningful careers and provide quality lives for their children. That very principle is why this country is considered great; I just wish it wasn’t so hard to keep it that way.
Day in and Day out I move to the beat of an internal alarm clock. You see in my life nothing can have a minimized importance as everything is operates like a machine, and if one part isn’t functioning the entire machine will cease to work. From getting up at 6:45am to make sure Christian is ready when the school bus arrives, so that I can in turn start working, so that I can afford to pay bills, pay for cool preteen haircuts and clothing and do all the of the things necessary to run a household. And though this juggling act can be redundant, it can also be full of surprises.
I hate to sound whiny, but almost always the surprises are unpleasant. Surprises like my check engine light coming on when I start my car, or waking up with a body ache(which makes me move slower). However, like always super mom powers through and things work out. There’s just one thing(sigh)… I get tired sometimes. There’s so many have to do’s in life and very few want to do’s. For example, I WANT to go get a pedicure and not feel guilty about the 2 hours I spend doing it. I also WANT to go get a cup of coffee and not feel guilty about spending $5 on it.
Overall, most of my gripes can be lumped into the category of single parent ranting. With that being said I’ll close by saying that being a parent is the best and most meaningful gift I’ve ever received and that all of my griping will one day be cool stories to share with my grandchildren.
All the praying and hard work is paying off. Christian’s doing his homework by himself. I check it after he finishes of course, but I’m so happy that he has the confidence and courage to do it without me sitting right next to him or hovering over him. Parents our work is worth it. High 5!
So life throws us curve balls sometimes. I walked everyday, ate lots of vegetables and never ever missed one my prenatal doctors appointments. The result, I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy that just happens to be autistic. Am I less thrilled to have him? ABSOLUTELY NOT. The fact is that my son being autistic is just one label that fits him. His other labels include, happy, playful, funny, cute, quick learner, athletic and the list goes on and on.
It’s important that we not focus so much on what our children lack that we forget about all the great traits they possess. If you were going house hunting and found a house that was the perfect size, color, price and location you wouldn’t consider it any less great if you didn’t like the door knobs that were on the closets. You would work on the issues that needed adjusting and be thrilled about your work. The big picture is all the work that we do with our children now is so well worth the bright futures they have ahead of them.
