For my family, balance is not a reasonable aspiration. Instead I’ll seek to triumph in the highs and rebound from the lows of this teeter totter life.

Wanted: Parent of a Child with Complex Needs. Must be willing to work more than 100 hours per week on minimal sleep. Experience in nursing preferred.

To be independent is a hard-wrought thing. Eating, breathing, speaking, moving…these things take intense effort from a child and family with special needs.

When it hit us, it hit hard and fast. I don’t know if there’s an actual name for it, but I call it therapy burnout. We called it quits for a year.

We hadn’t even made it to the Target toy section when he laughed and cupped his hands together to sign “more.” He was looking at an ad of a boy in a walker.

A special needs mom can feel invisible and exhausted -- making a special day set aside to appreciate her especially meaningful.

This taps into the fear of many caregiving parents: what if something happens to me without time to prepare? I'm finding ways to share the responsibility.

As mom to a child with special needs, I'm also a teacher, writer, nurse, chef, physical therapist, psychologist and shaper of one very special kid’s future.

As a complex medical mom, when I know that my child matters to you, we trust and believe in you; and that, dear doctor, puts the magic into your treatment.

Watch this recorded webinar - Learn coping strategies for chronic PTSD experienced by parents of a child with special needs. Presented by Dr. Liz Matheis.