Since the 2nd week of October, Super Mighty Max has been staying home with his Dad (me), and we’ve been having a great time. Initially, he was going to daycare 2 days out of the week, but after he got sick with the Flu, we decided to take him out of daycare and stop bringing him to church altogether. Erica and I just felt like it wasn’t worth the risk to continue to expose Maxwell to environments with a lot of germs.

  
Thus far, since Maxwell has come home from the hospital, he hasn’t been out much, which means someone has to stay in the house with him. The reality is, as a Special Needs Parent, I tend to play it very safe when it comes to Super Mighty Max, and I’m sure others in my similar situation do too. After numerous hospital stays, sicknesses, operations, diagnoses, and potential procedures ; special needs parents, want to protect and keep their children safe and healthy at all costs! We don’t take them out the house often, we’re overly cautious about what schools we enroll them in, we’re constantly worrying about their safety when they’re not in our presence, we fail to enroll them in activities because of the fear that they might get hurt, we’re paranoid about who we trust to watch them, and as parents we feel guilty for desiring rest and relaxation without our children. In an effort to be great and protective parents, we risk low and often reap low rewards, frustration, and resentment.

The GOOD NEWS is, it doesn’t have to be like this, because with high risk we can reap high rewards! I say this after having a conversation with the Senior Neurologists at Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters. Last week when Super Mighty Max was in the hospital, Dr. Neurologists lamented the fact that a lot of parents in our similar situation, tend to be very conservative when it comes to their special needs child. As a result, we end up providing a very low quality of life and experience for our children, because we’re afraid that something bad may happen. He recommends that parents do all that they can to provide a high quality of life for their children.

Take risks, so that the children can enjoy life! Feed them foods, even with the possibility of aspiration, so that they can enjoy the pleasures of taste. Risk them being around their peers, so that they can experience the joy of human connection. Risk traveling with them, so they can see the world just as you do! Risk enrolling them in sports, so they can experience the joy of competition. Take the risk and say no to that invasive surgery, so that they can live life comfortably. Simply put, take the risk and give your super, mighty, blessed child the life you would’ve gave them, if they didn’t have special needs and disabilities. Take the high risks and expect high rewards for your child and family!

Merry CHRISTmas,

Brandon