Being Brave Enough to Tell the Truth

The truth is that having a child with special needs or one who requires additional time and care, whether they have a diagnosis or not, can be a strain on any family. Yes, we can acknowledge the blessings of these individuals and the valuable lessons they teach us, AND it can be challenging to attend to this child’s needs while continuing to give love and attention to one’s self and other family relationships. The most important piece is to honestly acknowledge this truth, without judging yourself or others. It doesn’t make you a “bad” parent, sister, brother, to feel the strain and the frustrations inherent in having a sensitive child in your family.Secondly, it is important to talk about these feelings with your spouse or a close family member. It is important for siblings to be encouraged to express their feelings without fear of being seen as loving their sister/brother any less. It takes courage to tell the truth. It takes an agreement in the family that people’s feelings will be accepted without judgment and that loving has room for all sorts of feelings and experiences, not just the altruistic ones. By removing the taboo from having and expressing the more base and often less attractive feelings, as well as the more selfless ones, a tremendous amount of energy and creativity is freed up. This freedom and creativity can be used to find ways that everyone can get taken care of and loved. Everyone, including you!