When Special Needs Parenting Brings Too Much New

by May 22, 2017Encouragement, Spiritual Support0 comments

Too much new is an ailment that afflicts parents after receiving a special needs diagnosis for their kids. Parents need to know 2 things to recover.

Our family moved in January. Since the day we left the community we called home for 25 years, I’ve struggled to regain my equilibrium. I’ve finally pinpointed the malady causing this lack of balance and affectionately named it…

Too Much New.

Some of the new is time-consuming:
New address notifications,
new routes to new stores and services,
new routines to create and perfect.

Some of the new is expensive:
New curtains and shades,
new gadgets,
new paint and trim.

Some of the new is delightful:
New scenery,
new walking trails,
new trees and flowers in a new yard.

The constant navigating of too much new–both what’s delightful and what’s not–leaves me exhausted at the end of each day.

I haven’t felt this off-kilter in a long time. Not since when we were 25, and our our first child was born. In a heartbeat, we were parents of a child with a medical diagnosis we hadn’t known existed. We were knocked completely off balance as we arrived in the land of…

Too Much New.  

Some of the new was frightening:
New medical terms and procedures,
new chances for survival–or not,
new complications and set backs.

Some of the new was expensive:
New doctor bills,
new prescriptions and supplies,
new travel and food costs.

Some of the new was delightful:
A new baby,
new milestones as he overcame health challenges,
new unexpected friendships.

To read the rest of this post, visit this link at Key Ministry’s special needs blog for families.

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By Jolene

Jolene Philo is the author of the Different Dream series for parents of kids with special needs. She speaks at parenting and special needs conferences around the country. She’s also the creator and host of the Different Dream website. Sharing Love Abundantly With Special Needs Families: The 5 Love Languages® for Parents Raising Children with Disabilities, which she co-authored with Dr. Gary Chapman, was released in August of 2019 and is available at local bookstores, their bookstore website, and at Amazon.

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Meet Jolene

Jolene Philo is a published author, speaker, wife, and mother of a son with special needs.

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