When I was expecting my precious daughter Marianna, someone sent me an article by the humorist Erma Bombeck about why God chose some mothers to be the mother of a child with disability. Bombeck explains how she envisions God giving out children by matching the personalities and needs of both mother and child. She says the mother of a child with special needs will be permitted to "see clearly the things I (God) see--ignorance, cruelty and prejudice, and (God will) allow her to rise above them."
For many years these comments shaped my thoughts about parenting a child with special needs. Bombeck had some insights that have proved true over the past two decades, particularly these words: "You see, the child I'm going to give her has her own world. She has to make her live in her world and that's not going to be easy." But Bombeck also suggested that the mother of a child with special needs is essentially a "saint" for doing this special work. I have found it true that others elevate the work of raising a child with disability, but this isn't how I think God sees it.
There's a saying in the Down syndrome parenting community that our children are "more alike than different." I believe mothers are more alike than we are different too. With that in mind, I wrote this article about how I believe God chooses the mother of a child with special needs. It was published this month in the online publication "Her View From Home." I hope you enjoy it and will share it with others. You can read it here...
Comments