Dear special mom, I thought I was strong until I met you
Iread a letter published in these pages from one of your own, thanking us volunteers. But it had me thinking — we aren’t the ones to be praised. We aren’t the ones who live with a special child 12 months of a year. And I’ve noticed and admired so much of what you do.
Taking care of special children can be draining, and there’s often little respite, especially for older children. There are Sunday programs, the occasional Shabbos volunteer or shabbaton, and — if you’re lucky enough — camp, but that’s usually where it ends.
When I was a counselor in a special-needs camp, I came home utterly worn-out. I can only imagine how exhausted you are, taking care of your child every day of the year with all the love and care they deserve.
So many of you, the mothers of medically fragile children, serve as your children’s nurses. You’ve learned how to use G-tubes and Bi-PAPs, oxygen concentrators, and suction machines. None of it is for the faint of heart, yet you do it, day in and day out. Your child may have nursing care, but that’s often not enough; no one knows a child’s medical needs like a mother.
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