In the two previous posts in this series, I shared six commonalities observed in parents who live triumphantly with special needs kids. Today the last three ways will be discussed. As was mentioned before, don’t try to implement all of them at once. Select one, work on it until it is firmly in place, then choose another.

#7 Triumphant parents get away now and then.

Getting away takes forethought, but triumphant parents do what’s necessary to make it happen. If your child can stay with a babysitter, taking a break won’t be so difficult. But if your child needs specialized care, check with the Department of Social Services, County Nurse, a Parish Nurse (if your church has one), or private Home Health Care services about getting occasional respite care. If you aren’t sure where to start, ask the people in your support group. They may have advice.

#8 Triumphant parents laugh often.

My father, who was in a wheelchair for 38 years because of multiple sclerosis once told me, “ I can laugh about it or I can cry. I choose to laugh.” Laughter is good medicine. You need to laugh and so does your child because kids are kids, and kids love to laugh. When researching A Different Dream for My Child, a young woman who survived childhood cancer said she and her mom had their own special song, “Nothin’s Gonna Stop Us Now.” Whenever they had a bad day or discouraging news, they played the song and danced around the room. Then they would do something fun like make M & M cookies.

#9 Triumphant parents pray even more often than they laugh.

These parents are more likely to pray for themselves, their family and their special needs children. And they teach their special needs kids to pray. For ideas, go to  www.NavPress.org and click on the Prayer Card button. The thirty day cards provide a verse a day to pray for your kids, their teachers, the schools, the church, etc.

I would like to develop a thirty day prayer card for special needs families and make it available for download on this website, so if you have suggestions of what to include on it, please make a comment. I would love to incorporate your suggestions!

There you have it – nine ways to live triumphantly. If you think I’ve missed any, leave a comment to add to the list. I would love to hear what’s worked for you!

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