Not A Parenting Expert: Do Not Let a Disability be an Inability

I have a 13 year old daughter. I do not recommend getting pregnant in college like I did. I do not recommend my life as a parent unless you come prepared with life support.

Both my husband and I have high functioning autism. I have physical disabilities that require me to be in a wheelchair a lot. My life has been challenging with a lot of tears. My daughter was born premature and almost died at one month old from Strep.

She has suffered many things and needs support with understanding things around her. In some areas she strives in. With others she struggles. As a baby she needed physical therapy for a lot of things including learning basics. Then she needed Occupational Therapy for learning to pinch and grip things.

My daughter never learned to hold a bottle on her own. But she did learn to crawl and sit up at 9 months. Then walk at 13 months. She needed speech therapy until the age of 11 years old. She still needs physical therapy but only as consults now.

My daughter has been diagnosed with an Intellectual Disability, ADHD, Celiacs Disease, Microcephaly, ODD, and many other challenges. This does not stop her. She reads many books.

Currently she is reading My Hero Academia, Harry Potter, and Demon Slayer. My daughter also loves to draw and color while listening to Shinedown or Avril Lavigne.

One day she wants to work in a school as a para educator and work with children who need all the love and support they can get. That is admirable.

I may not be a parenting expert, but I do know what it is like to raise a child who is exhausting and has challenges. While she is going off to high school in the fall, my husband and I will be in college pursuing our dreams to a better future. Our goals are to teach her to not let a disability be an inability.