I am a mom!   

 
I am the mom of an amazing daughter who has special needs but I am not a special needs mom!

My needs are not specials. 

What I want for my daughter is what you want for your kids. 

I want her to learn and grow 

I want her to reach her full potential

I want her to be happy and a little silly 

 
I want her to have friends and be part of a team

 
I want her to fall in love

I want her to contribute to society

I want her to mater

I want the world to see her the way I see her 

 
What I want for my daughter is not special at all. 

I am not a special needs mom!

I am a mom! 

 
What is special is what I had to and still have to do to get Emily anywhere near what we both (you and I) want for our kids. 

What is special, is the people that we will need to help her get there. 

Many doctors will continue to stare at her, study her, poke her. 

Many hours of therapies will be required.  Physiotherapy, Occupational therapy, Speech therapy…

While you were buying soccer equipment or ballet shoes, we were looking at walkers and communication devices.   

Because, just like you I want my child, to walk, run, play, jump around… Just like you I want my child to talk to me! 

 
When we dropped Emily off for kindergarten, we already had many meetings to discuss Emily’s abilities and challenges. We met her specialized educator (or educational assistant) and knew she would be safe. We do that, every year. This year will be her 13th year of school and I will still do that.  Because, just like you, I want my child to be safe and comfortable at school. I want her to learn and grow. 

A specialized education plan is required.  Your child will follow the group, mine will fall behind.  But regardless how far back she is, she is still learning and she deserves the opportunity to continue to learn. 

When you are thinking about how you are going to pay for college and university, I’m thinking about how I am going to pay for tutoring. 

When you will help your kids relocate for school or work, I will be teaching mine life skills and we will be looking at moving to a house where she can have her own space. 

When your child will go for a job interview and start their career, I am hoping mine will too. 

Because when all is said and done, I am a mom and what I want for my girl is what you want for your kids. 

I want her to learn and grow 

I want her to reach her full potential

I want her to be happy 

 
I want her to have friends 

I want her to fall in love 

 
I want her to contribute to society

I want her to mater

Nothing special, really!

Next time you look at a kid with special needs and feel like the world has to bend backward for him or her, please take a second to think that what we want for our kids is no different than what you want. 

What is different is what we will do to get there. 

 
I  not a special needs mom!

I am a mom!