The Need for Emotional Support
Parenting a neurodivergent child can be challenging. Emotional support is crucial for maintaining mental health and resilience. We don’t realize it when we are living it day in and day out. We had our hiccups and challenging moments when our kids were littles, looking back, elementary age was a breeze, it was when puberty hit when things got real for us. With each few steps forward ended with even more steps backwards, it was hard to actually get support for myself and my husband. Who do we turn to? We didn’t know how to help our own kids during our “perfect storm”. My mother died suddenly and my son shut down. I look back on that time and I can’t believe we climbed out. If it weren’t for the places we found for support I don’t know what we would have done.
My daughter at the time was strong and held her own for a while, she saw her brother struggling with his feelings and she stepped up, only to regress once my son got his bearings back. My son didn’t talk for more than a month. While feeling the loss of my mother, my best friend, planning a funeral, and just breathing I didn’t even realize my son wasn’t talking. After the services and a week off from work and school when it was time to “get back to life” my son suddenly refused to go to school. This wasn’t just a few days here and there. It was every. Single. Day. From March until the end of the school year. My husband and I were at a loss. I had to take a leave of absence at my job because he needed me. I was angry because mentally I needed to return to work, I needed my mind to be kept busy and I needed adult interaction while I grieved. It’s when I realized that school refusal is a real thing. It got physical, which we didn’t want. My son is no bigger than me, his kicks and punches hurt. I was so concerned about school, when I should have been more concerned about what was really going on. When your in it, there are things you just don’t see or realize.
What I didn’t know then, but I realized a few months after loosing my mom, was I needed my son just as bad as my son needed me. My husband did the reaching out and we found the Upper Room in Derry, NH. I slowly got my son talking again. I asked him everyday if he wanted to go to school but when the answer was always no we’d go about our day and run errands, spend time outside planting a garden in honor of my mom and I got to know him. I truly got to know him. I loved him in a way I don’t think I had ever loved him before. I can
Finding Support
Join local support groups or online communities to connect with others who understand your journey.