25 Things to Be Thankful For

If your child has special needs or is medically fragile, you live in a totally different world than other parents. There are a lot of things that parents of healthy, neuro-typical children never have to worry about. Here are some things parents of non-special needs kids should be thankful for, but aren’t, and some things that we can be thankful for, if we’re past this stage or if we never had to deal with it at all. Next time someone doesn’t get why you’re even more stressed or exhausted than a parent of a healthy, typical child, share this list with them! And tell us some more things parents should be thankful for in the comments!

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Be thankful if…

1. your child’s bed does not have a heart and respiration monitor or an IV pole next to it.
2. you’ve never sterilized baby bottles and medical supplies at the same time.
3. you’ve never had to explain to a doctor or therapist the basics about a rare medical condition your child has,– or if you’ve never had a health care specialist pretend to know what their rare condition is when they clearly have no idea.
4. you can go to the grocery store without having to load up a wheel chair, a heart monitor or an oxygen tank.
5. your life doesn’t revolve around doctor and therapy appointments.
6. you’ve never stayed up nights worrying that your child will never walk, talk or potty train.
7. you’ve never had to look at your child inside an isolette or incubator.
8. you don’t have the phone numbers for at least 15 medical offices saved in your cell phone.
9. you’ve never filled out one of those “developmental surveys” at the doctor’s office and by the end, started resenting parents who have children who meet milestones.
10. you’ve never had to explain to a stranger who is trying to play with your child that he or she can’t hear / see / speak to them.
11. you’ve never filled out a form and wondered whether to put your child’s actual age or adjusted age.
12. you don’t have to carry a list of medications and dosage with you to doctor appointments because otherwise you can’t remember them all.
13. you’ve never spent hours filling out an entire application for some government aid program or disability service only to get to the last page and see fine print that shows you don’t qualify.
14. you haven’t spent months on end trying to repeatedly teach your child how to do something that other children learn naturally.
15. your diaper bag doesn’t just as many medical supplies as diapers.
16. you don’t break out in a sweat when you hear an ambulance.
17. you don’t shop for birthday toys based on your child’s therapist’s recommended developmental goals.
18. you were able to take your child straight home with you within a few days of his or her birth.
19. you don’t always look like you’re going to a picnic by carrying a cooler of medications wherever you go.
20. you can attend a play group and have your child participate without getting run over by other kids or hearing other parent’s intrusive questions.
21. your child has never spent so long in a hospital that you know the hospital cafeteria’s menu by heart and all the nurses by name.
22. you have never silently hated people who brag about their intellectually advanced or physically talented child.
23. or have never despised someone who didn’t notice how talented their child was.
24. you can sign your child up for any class, program or activity and never once worry if they will be able to keep up, be involved or tolerate all the stimuli.
25. you’ve never crumpled up a developmental milestones chart and decided that your child will do things when and if they are ready to, and stop worrying about the rest!

Please comment below and share your experience with us, or give us a feedback about this article. If you think some tips are not included here, please let us know so that we could share them with the rest.