Selfless moms on Facebook
by Beth
Remember that post I wrote about a month ago? The one that questioned whether mothers of kids who have autism and other disabilities are more selfless than other moms? Well, it got tons of comments on Facebook.
You may already know that Easter Seals has a fan page on Facebook, but did you know that Easter Seals and Autism blog posts shows up on our Facebook wall too? They do! And they spark great conversations.
Check out this sampling of comments from Facebook fans in response to that selfless mom post, for example:
MAGUI: Well … I do not think I am better than any other mom, but my child with Autism does not sleep … my days usually run in between 17 to sometimes 24 hours a day. I’m most definitely not a better mom because I have a child with special needs, but I definitely do a lot more than an average mom … I love my daughter with all my heart so the extra work, the meltdowns, the tantrums, the aggressivity, the sleepless nights, the therapies, the ARD meetings, the learning of Special Ed class, special ed laws, nutrition, doctors, so on and so forth are for her … I might not be better, but I do more than the average mom.
MERCEDES: I don’t think we are better, but I do think we have more challenges actually, we deal with the normal challenges and the special needs ones
BEK: Magui, you put it beautifully: “I might not be better, but I do more than the average mom.” I’m guessing that’s what the original article/list was trying to say but they couldn’t figure out a way to do it without a million footnotes and explanations …
ELIZABETH: I’m seeing a lot of “normal” mom and “average” mom/kids in the comments here. I agree that parenting a child with special needs has unique challenges, I don’t particularly like be labeled as an “average” or “normal” mom because my child does not have special needs. We each face our own set of unique challenges as parents, whether those challenges are brought about by our children themselves or other circumstances within our families and communities is irrelevant.
In addition to featuring our autism blog posts on Facebook, Easter Seals shares the latest news and posts disability etiquette and facts there too. It’s enlightening to visit the Facebook page and find such great conversations taking place. It’s quite a community. People are sharing their own experiences and thoughts.
If you’re already a member of Facebook, visit our wall and click the “like” button at the top of our page. Our posts will be included in your wall feed. Not on Facebook? That’s OK. You can still see our posts. If you want to comment or join the conversation though, you’ll need to sign up for your own account. Whichever way you find us, thanks for reading and responding to our blog!
June 26th, 2010 at 7:14 am
I think we can agree that most moms are selfless and face their own challenges. Moms are extraordinary people. However, until you walk in the shoes of a mom with a special needs child you have no idea of the physical and emotional strength that is needed–it is magnified by 100. I used to be one of those moms that looked through a different lense in life until 3 years ago my son was diagnosed with autism and my life as I planned came to a screeching halt. Not only do you have to be there for your special needs kiddo but for your typical children while trying to keep your own mental state intact as a result of exhaustion, helplessness, fighting battles with others, your heart breaking each day and much more. Holding it all together is a much greater challenge for special needs moms. I have been on both sides and feel ashamed that I didn’t understand and support better these moms before I became one. Bless all moms for their strength and unconditional love!