The birth of a child brings joy into the lives of the parents and their families. But not every child is born in the healthiest form. They require special needs, attention and care while growing up, and a large majority of parents in India do not have the knowledge or the resources for it.
Our qualified parenting counsellors in Ahmedabad at We Positive Parenting understand these challenges and have come up with a list of 6 tips for parents with children requiring special needs, to help them in their upbringing and make their lives easier and harmonious.
1. Ask for help
You may have heard it, but it is worth repeating. ‘Asking for help does not mean you are weak’. Rather than struggling to figure out your child’s special needs all by yourself, seek help. Open up and talk about it to gather more and more information. There are high chances of you realising that your parenting techniques were right all along, but all you just needed more information on it and some support to sail through.
And the best way to get started is by seeking help from a parenting counsellor or guide. They are equipped with the knowledge, experience and resources to help you and your child.
2. Join support groups
We know, it gets frustrating, when people with absolutely no idea about your struggles as a parent of a special needs child start giving you advice on how to do parenting.
Knowledge grows when knowledge is shared. And challenges become easier to achieve when they’re shared with like-minded people. We always encourage parents with special needs to be part of various support groups where other parents with similar challenges and struggles come together.
Joining such groups or communities will make you realise that other people are also walking the same path as you. This will help you discover their coping strategies and new resources. Moreover, you will also get support from other parents who ‘actually get it’ and learn how to seek hope and strength by their stories.
You can feel free to get in touch with our parent counsellors at We Positive Parenting to know about such groups for parenting in Ahmedabad or in your city of residence.
3. Take breaks
Taking a break does not mean you do not care for your child. Your body just needs to take rest regularly as mental exhaustion is a thing. Don’t over work yourself and give yourself a chance to recuperate. Be it drinking coffee in silence, be it reading a book or be it just lying down to rest. Recharge yourself by doing what you like.
You can even put your child in a stroller or wheelchair and take a walk with a friend. Both you and also your kid will benefit from the change of the scenery. And it gets refreshing to break away from the monotony of you everyday tasks
The parenting guides at We Positive Parenting have also created special programmes to help parents of children with special needs to learn how to deal with stress and the additional responsibilities.
