This morning, there's a new post at Support for Special Needs:
If you are writing about an issue that affects you as a disability parent, and if that issue doesn't relate to something that is specific to the experience of being a mother, I'm not going to ask you not to address your concerns to "special needs moms" only. But I am going to ask you why you're making that choice.
Is it because in your experience, mothers are the ones doing the heavy lifting? That makes sense; the statistics certainly back you up to some extent. But if that is in fact your perspective, I have to ask you, do you like it that way? And if you don't, how do you feel about a societal narrative that feeds this perception? More to the point, how do you feel about participating in the reenforcement and perpetration of this narrative?
Rob, thanks for posting. As Joe's mom (non-verbal,Down Syndrome, age 20, very cool guy), I speak for my son, because he can't speak or write. He taps my lips and I ask questions until I find out what he wants to say. It took 3 days to find the question: "What's wrong with me that Dad never comes to visit?" We had to exert tons of family pressure to get Joe's dad to visit for the first time in 6 years. Moms LOVE dads who are actively involved in their children's lives. Children need both parents. Keep it up, please!
ReplyDeleteGod bless,
Barbara
http://www.barbaracarson.com
ReplyDeleteVery happy to see a dad blogging about his nonverbal child. Wonderful!