I love posting pictures of my family, when my kids are together I try to get a picture of them all. Like everyone else I’ve taken pictures when they were babies as well as growing up. I remember taking pictures of everyone when Thomas was at residential school. It didn’t seem fair to not take pictures just because the circumstances or location weren’t ideal. Thomas even with all his issues was usually up for smiling for a picture.
Tommy and I never publicized what we were going through with Thomas. Social media wasn’t a “thing” back then. Most of our friends knew, those friends who were like family. Even so we would not have posted our business all over the internet. Ironically I do it now in this blog in retrospect.
There are people in this world who don’t acknowledge there are people with special needs. That there are special needs children who even attend school. That behind every special needs child is a parent(s) who didn’t chose this life, didn’t choose to have to make extremely difficult and important decisions. That the parent(s) did what was best for the child not what made things easier for the parent. Choosing what was best for our son: That was our life for many years. Special education evaluations, IEP meetings, medication decisions, residential school, I could go on. This is not written for pity. Don’t you dare pity us and by “us” I mean all the parents who’ve faced what we have faced.
I’m writing as I believe there are many people who only look at the shiny happy family pictures. Not the diagnosis’ we had to accept, the coldness of multiple professionals performing evaluations, attending IEP meetings alone or with younger children. The tears shed. Experiencing all that to have the end result; that genuine shiny happy family picture.
Lest anyone for one second believe this decision making ends at any particular age: It does not. Thomas is 30. His medications are still not where they should be. Thankfully Thomas is good with blood draws. Due to the complete fuck up of his meds I frequently refer to, I’ve had to find a new primary physician, nephrologist, and referral to the new current psychiatrist. Not tasks I ever imagined having to handle at this stage of the game.
I hope people do enjoy the pictures of my family. Their smiles are real and we do love and care for each other very much. However as most people who witnessed our life for what it was; this was not an easy road to arrive in the present.
Menay O; mom to 4, Christian and thrift shopper on the side... 