9 Ways To Celebrate The Special Needs Mom in Your Life
When you parent a child with complex needs, nothing slows down for a special day on the calendar. Conversely, when the rest of the world is getting spoiled, it can feel like the extra challenge of raising complex children is even bigger. Moms are so often the glue that holds a family together, sacrificing their own needs for those of the family. The more complex the family, the stronger the glue has to be.
Special needs moms can feel invisible and exhausted, making a special day set aside to appreciate them especially meaningful. She might not ask for much, and might even downplay the day, but I can guarantee that if you show her some extra love this Mother’s Day, you’ll see the special needs mom in your life shine! If you can’t think of the perfect gift, have no fear, there’s something for every mom and every budget!
- Respite! I can think of no better way to appreciate the special needs mom you love than to give her time off, even a couple of hours, just to herself. When moms are the primary caregiver, they often have to plan the respite and get everything ready, making the time to herself even more necessary by the workload it creates. Just taking that off her plate for this one day a year would be a godsend.
- Sincere appreciation. Moms do what we do without expecting anything in return, but when we do get praise, it lifts our spirits and boosts our mood. If you can jot a note or tell her face to face how valuable she is to the family, it will make her day.
- Let her sleep in. An extra hour of sleep could make her whole week!
- Help her feel pretty. Moms can end up pretty low on their own to-do list. Far too often, they’re even behind on basics like haircuts, let alone anything else. If you can carve out some time and money for her to invest in herself and self-care, whether getting that overdue haircut, clothing, or a mani-pedi, she will wind up feeling better for having had the chance to take care of herself.
- Make dinner or take her out. Either way she will feel like a queen and have one less task to worry about.
- A chocolate stash. Those reams of paperwork and stressful phone calls are just a little less stressful when there’s a chocolatey treat ready at the end of the day.
- Help your child(ren) make something special. Moms love the handiwork of their children, and it means even more if dad organizes something special.
- Support her hobby. If she has a passion, get her some of the things she needs to pursue it.
- Make sure she gets hugs and kisses all around. Even if none of the above work out, remember the day, and remind the kids to give loads of love and gratitude for mom’s special day.
Whatever you do, do something! Make that special needs mom in your life feel spoiled! She deserves it!
Alethea Mshar is a Special Needs Mom and Blogger.
Read her blog, Ben’s Writing, Running Mom
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Parents of Children with Special Needs: A Different Kind of Mother’s Day
Connecting with My Child with Special Needs: Precious Moments
