This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Jockey. All opinions are 100% mine.
As the mother of a child with special needs, the way that the Jockey #ShowEm campaign celebrates values like family, courage, and perseverance truly resonates with me. Our family’s journey hasn’t been easy, but we keep fighting on every day. So when I created my #ShowEm meme, one of the values in particular stood out to me.
I remember the early days of caring for Miss O – before the diagnosis. The days of her unable to verbalize her wants, needs, joys, and excitement. The days of her spinning non-stop. The days of her unable to make eye contact as you spoke to her.
These days were hard, really hard. We had ups, we had downs. We struggled to make it to the end of the day much of the time.
Then we got her diagnosis and I will never forget that day. The emotions that made their way through my body was overwhelming. Suddenly, there were things we had to change, appointments we had to go to, and therapists we had to keep in contact with.
The life of a special needs parent is a hard one. It’s a roller coaster ride and it’s pretty crazy.
But you know what has helped us the most? What trait that we possess has made the real difference?
Having the perseverance to push through it every step of the way.
As special needs parents, we go through some major bumps and hurdles. We try and calm a child when they’re having a meltdown from being overstimulated. We take them to all kinds of appointments, We structure our household and schedules to accommodate their needs the best they can.
Now, I don’t say all this to complain. Olivia is the best thing to ever happen to me. She’s challenged me in ways I never thought I could be. She’s made me brave when I thought I was fearless. She’s shown me things I never thought I would see. I wouldn’t change her for anything in the world.
But it takes some real strength to do what we do. We push hard to make it to the next day. We persevere and keep pushing. We do it because we have to. We have to do this for our future together. We do this to give her the best shot at her best life that we can.
If you’re a special needs parent, I know you can persevere too.
Maybe you’re in the beginning stages of this game. You’re lost, you’re confused, you’re doubtful, or maybe you’re still in denial like I once was. It’s hard and it’s crazy no matter how far along in the game you are. If you just got a diagnosis, you haven’t gotten it yet, or you’ve been pushing through for over a decade.
No matter what point of your story you’re in, you are strong. You push through and you persevere. You do it because you have to, you need to, and you know you can. I know you can too.
You persevere because it’s what you need to do.
Jockey wants people like me and you to express who we are and what we go through- I would love to hear your story! Share in the comments how you show values like family, courage, and perseverance in your life. Then #ShowEm what’s underneath by creating your own captioned photo using the Showem Meme Generator!
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