There are a lot of things I never thought I would live through or deal with. I never thought I would have horrible morning sickness for my entire pregnancy… twice… until the day I gave birth from the moment the lines turned pink. I never thought I would be a working mom. I never thought I would live through a global pandemic that seems like something out of a really crappy science fiction movie.

More than anything though, I never thought I would have a differently-abled child. When I was younger and saw parents who had kids with special needs I always thought they were amazing, and must be so strong and put together. There is no way I could handle that, I am for sure not capable of caring for a kid that was going to need more than most.

Isn’t it ironic then that my first child is non verbal Autistic. It is like the universe laughed in my face, whether I was ready or not I had to step it up and be a parent of a special needs child. There is no guide book to parenting and there really isn’t one for parents with kids on the spectrum.

Guess what, I am not always strong, I am almost never put together, and most days I certainly don’t feel amazing. It is all just a learning experience, every single day.

So if you ever wonder if you’re going to be a capable special needs parent or even just a parent in general, know this, the fact that you care enough to wonder means you will be just fine.

Try not to stress, try not to hate yourself for mistakes you might make. I know it is hard, as parents we want the best, but here is the thing, that is life, there will be hard moments, learn from them, use them to teach yourself and you child.

The important thing is no matter what, if you love them, and do the best you can that is what they will remember, the rest won’t matter.