To be honest this whole superhero business does not interest me at all, but in this situation I will indulge all of those who love them and write a blog about superheroes. Some days it feels like we can't do it the task of being a parent, then adding special needs can actually feel quite daunting, impossible, depressing and then inspiring, encouraging and faith building. If you feel like you are residing in the the first section this is for you! Now this is the fun part, often I think that being a parent means that we have to be superhuman, even a superhero. But to be a superhero you need to harness your superpowers:) I know cool hey?
Superhero power #1: know thyself say goodbye to comparison, self loathing and negative talk. You can not be a superhero if you don't know you are, own it and love it!! This can be a life long struggle for some. But when you are exhausted and sometimes at crisis point what will sap your life out of you is self doubt, loathing and other negative feelings and thoughts!
Superhero power #2 be content with what you have This is a fine line to balance on yes we want to know where our children need to be and go, but it is different with us. Sometimes the trap of being a parent with special needs we see the grass is ALWAYS greener on the other side someone else got funding, equipment or services, their diagnosis gets proper funding and so on. Sometimes we need to fight and advocate for me, but sometimes we need to work with what we got and don't waste our time on wishing for something we don't have.
Superhero power #3 we all need time out Just this last few weeks I had some time without exercise and I was with my kids the WHOLE time. This I learnt I am not a better parent by spending all my time with my kids, I am not a better parent by not taking the time to exercise. In fact it's the opposite, I was crabbier, more stressed out and I feel like I was hanging on for dear life the whole time. It is so important to make time for us in the busyness of parenting it can be simple or complex but it has to be something.
Superhero power #4 get organised Now I know all you busy people are looking at me saying I DON'T HAVE TIME!!! I have to be honest time management is a super power not all possess it, but we can all learn how to use it. There are many ways we can be organised make it simple, complicated but it is SO vital. If you want to manage the challenges of appointments and therapy and meetings you have to have some way of writing it down, putting it in your phone and communicating with those around us. This also includes our little super heroes. Empower them to feel confident and secure by giving them a general framework to their day, morning and even a written visual routine.
Superhero power #4 all super heroes have a hideout when our homes are invaded by villains at times it can feel like we have nowhere to go. But we all need to have a hideout. So... this means having a small routine for housework I do the one rule: one load of dishes, one load of washing and pick up clothes off the floor (or toys). So to be able to recharge somewhere in your home needs to feel like your haven/hideout. This can be your bedroom a nice bedspread cover, lamps, or even my favourite of cleaning the lounge room so when I sit down at night I feel like I can relax in my one clean room.
Superhero power #5 find out where the other super heroes hang out The value of community is priceless. Finding people who are understanding, where there is no judgement and friendship is so amazing. I know that I would not be where I would be without the valuable input of those around me, online or face to face these people are are all in my eyes superheroes, they are inspiring, encouraging and help me continue on in this journey.
This post is poking a little fun and enjoying things a little, but to be honest I know I feel like I need to have some superhuman ability to keep going some days but I do. As do many other superhero parents I know. Some who live on lack of sleep, deal with behavioural issues, health issues and insurmountable challenges. We are all superheroes I believe and being a parent comes in all different shapes and sizes but we are all superheroes!
"The graphics in this blog article come from this blog, they are fantastic check them out elshangowuzhere.blogspot.com.au"
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