For personal and professional purposes, I have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn accounts. There were periods of time when, I confess, I was addicted to social media. I’ve gotten much better at balancing my time and not wasting so much on my phone, but even in my weakest moments, when I found myself falling down the social media “Alice in Wonderland” rabbit hole, I have never canceled my social media accounts — or even considered it.
And here’s why: Social media pages are my lifeline to special needs parenting
As a mom to a child with developmental delays, it’s easy to feel extremely overwhelmed and lonely, but with special needs parenting groups, I can chat with similar parents around the world in safe forums, and even consider some parents I’ve connected with “friends” — despite the fact we've never met in person. Their parenting advice is crucial.
When you’re a parent to a child with special needs, encouragement comes in droves. As kind and compassionate as your friends and family members may be, sometimes no one just gets you and your plight as a special needs Mama or Papa Bear more than someone else also going through it with their family. Special needs parents share this amazing bond with each other, and it’s certainly how I feel as a mom to a child on the spectrum.
No one really gets what our day-to-day life is really like except other parents of children on the spectrum
Don’t get me wrong, I adore my family and friends with every fiber of my being, but hearing, “We are going through the exact same thing with little Jimmy/Bobby/Sherry” gives me all the feels. You get me, I think, when I vent to a special needs parent, You don't think i'm overreacting.
For special needs parents like myself, social media isn't toxic — it's a wealth of information. I’ve hired speech therapists for my kids based on referrals from local parents in special needs Facebook groups, and I follow the Instagram accounts of renowned speech therapists worldwide since they often post helpful advice for kids with lisps, delays, apraxia, and other circumstances. These parents and therapists remind me why I still maintain a Facebook and Instagram account.
These online safe spaces remind me that I'm not the only mom out there struggling
I’m not alone in my daily grind of begging my child to say a word, just ONE word, and being so excited when they do that that I'd do a cartwheel in celebration. I’m not the only parent hunting for the unicorn ABA therapist or praying my kid won’t have an epic meltdown in public tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that.
Feeling understood in a world that’s so topsy-turvy for me — and especially for my kid — is pretty damn amazing. Especially on days when loneliness overtakes my soul.
I’m thankful my special needs “family” reminds me it’s OK to open up to them, and pour my heart out — we’re a special international one-of-a-kind support group. For free.
