Today. The reality of living in the Special Needs Minefield is rarely reflected in the case notes held by practitioners.
Yes, they may cover the basics and some go into a bit of detail but what isn’t in there is the emotional turmoil this journey brings.
A few years ago, after a practitioner told me they understood how I felt, I put together a video of things families had discussed with me but I knew were unlikely to be in everyone’s case notes.
This video has received over 21k views on Youtube and I have had contact from parents and practitioners across the globe since publishing it. It has been used in training across the UK, in the States, in Canada and Australia to help raise awareness of the reality of the lives we live.
Over the last few years, I have put together a few videos but the focus has always been on getting the message across to practitioners. I wanted them to know what our lives are actually like, not in the text books but in reality. The feelings of isolation, anger, exclusion, contempt, being patronised and dismissed. Not just by the system, but often by friends and in some cases, family.
I remain extremely proud of my Today for practitioners video but as I have walked through this minefield and been hit time and time again, I know how difficult it is for me, as a mum, to get back up time and time again.
I wanted to share with other parents some of the things I have learned to help me get back up. I want parents out there to know they are not alone.
So I am proud to introduce:
Today: For Parents
This was inspired after reading a post called “I hope. I hope. I hope“over on the lovely Pouting in Heels blog. As I read Kate’s post, it resonated with me and I wanted to share some of the emotions I felt as I read it. I hope this video goes someway towards doing that.
I have already shared this video over on Bringing Us Together but I wanted to share both videos together on here, so that you get to know me better.
As a mum to three children with various special educational needs, my attempts to get organised, live a more fulfilling happier life and to lose weight are all grounded in the knowledge that my children need me to be around and they need me to be happy, healthy and, if they want to get out the door on time, they also need me to be organised. If I want to earn a living working from home, I need to be all of those things too.
I would love to hear what you think. I am always interested in hearing from other parents in my situation and those who may not be, but who see the videos and can relate to them because of a family member or through their work. If either video changes the way just one person feels today or changes the way one person interacts with a family today, then please let me know.
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