Parents of children with disabilities have many unique challenges – whether those children are still young or have grown to adulthood. Over the next few months, we hope to highlight some of the biggest struggles and find some practical and hope-filled solutions.
Our goal with this series is two-fold. We want parents to know that we see you, we hear you. It is also our goal to enlighten everyone – to give greater knowledge or understanding – to expose that these challenges are real and often difficult, confusing, agonizing, and also sanctifying. In all of the experiences any of us go through, God gives opportunity for them to be used for His glory and our good. We don’t begin to understand the complexity of God’s sovereign plan BUT we believe there is one and trust that our God loves His people.
In this introductory segment, we are starting with an overview – a basic outline with a few bullets, to introduce you to the broader scope. With each subsequent segment, we hope to get into a little more detail and delve deeper into a few items in each section.
We also invite interaction. If you see something in this outline that you resonate with and want to share a personal insight or personal story, or need to talk it over with someone, email us at Champions4Parents@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you!
I. Spiritual and Faith-Based Struggles:
- Questioning God’s Plan and Goodness.
- Understanding God’s Will.
- Isolation from the Church Community.
- Teaching Your Child About Faith.
- Finding Hope and Trust.
- Having a sense of purpose
- Judgment from other Christians about how to parent our kids when they do not understand neurodiversity.
II. Emotional and Psychological Toll:
- Grief and Loss.
- Exhaustion and Stress.
- Trauma (medical trauma) (caregiver ptsd).
- Loneliness and Isolation.
- Guilt and Shame.
- Fear for the Future.
- Doubting decisions made.
- Impact on Family Dynamics.
III. Practical and Financial Burdens:
- Financial Strain.
- Navigating Complex Systems.
- Lack of Respite Care.
- Self Care – (including Getting Enough Sleep).
- Accessibility Issues.
IV. Social and Community Challenges:
- Lack of Acceptance and Understanding.
- Lack of long-term compassion and dismissal attitudes.
- Difficulty Finding Support.
- Parents of medically complex children even feel isolated in the special needs community.
- Judgment from other disability parents.
- Inclusion in Church Activities.
- Satisfying Social Life.
This list is by no means indicative of ALL struggles of all Christian parents of children with disabilities, but we feel it is a pretty good starting place.
Again, parents of children affected by disability: we see you and we hear you. We ARE you.
Everyone:
Those who are members of families affected by disabilities,
Those who love a person or a family affected by disabilities,
Those who serve families affected by disabilities either in churches or in the workplace,
Those who are new to the plight of families affected by disability,
…and everyone else…
Let us gain wisdom and understanding and show compassion and love to each other.
Be sure to look for the second installment in this series where we spend a little time on the struggles that are Spiritual and Faith-Based.
In the meantime, let us know what you resonate with in this outline.
Much love,
Tom and Julie Meekins
CONNECT WITH US: We are here for YOU!
We invite you to connect with Tom, Julie, and Amy through:
Email: champions4parents@gmail.com
Phone: 410-746-9010 (Voice or Text)
Facebook: facebook.com/Champions4Parents
Don’t forget our website: Champions4Parents.com
And check out Amy’s websites at
AmyChristineMeekins.com
Amystories.wixsite.com/heartrecharge
If you would like to support us financially as we provide love and support to Parents and Caregivers as well as Ministry Leaders who serve families impacted by disability, we invite you to our donor page on our website: Champions4Parents.com/giving
