We are now looking back on several months of lockdown due to the Covid-19 Pandemic and even though schools may have been open for a short time parents have felt apprehensive about sending their children to school with questions and fears for children’s health and safety in a classroom environment. These concerns resulted in the majority of special needs children being kept at home.
Today we are celebrating a group of champions in our society… Let’s honour the parents of special needs children for their never ending love and commitment to providing a happy and safe life for their children despite all the many obstacles and challenges everyday life may bring.
If you are a parent of a special needs child you may need to admit that there are times you feel immensely overwhelmed. When you think of what the days ahead may hold, do you often have feelings of dismay, gloom and utter helplessness? Today you can take a deep breath and rest in the knowledge that you are not alone. There are a number of other parents of special needs children on this platform who share in your fears and rollercoaster of emotions. While it is important to recognise and tell someone how you feel it is also vital that you find some form of release and support to help you cope with these emotions. A solution that isn’t readily available in South Africa is ‘Respite Care’.
“What is Respite?” you may wonder. Respite is a time your special needs child is cared for by someone else to allow the parents and/or family unit with the siblings to focus on themselves for a change. During your special needs child’s respite break make sure that you use that time to spoil yourself and other children to build and ensure the mental health and emotional stability in your family.
Respite Care can be very expensive so why not ask trusted friends and family to bless you with a respite weekend rather than spend money on birthday presents. May you be overwhelmed by generosity from people around you during these difficult times.