All is Well

When a child is born the event brings joy to the parents and the other relatives. Both the mother and the father make plans for the child. The parents are full of hopes and anxiety- Happiness that the child is on the way and anxiety about whether the child will be healthy. The fear is never voiced, but it lurks at the back of the mind and prompts the new mother to ask as soon as the child is born, is she Ok?
Some disabilities are quite evident at the time of birth; others are detected after a few days after birth. But some other conditions like mental retardation, partial loss of sight and hearing may not be detected even years after birth.
Whenever the fact of their child’s disabilities becomes apparent to the parents, it is a Shock. The more obvious and the greater disabilities with fewer chances of the child being able to lead a normal life.
Many researchers have tried to know about the feelings of parents of special children. On the basis observations and research .It is important for you as an Educator, to know what these are, so that you will be not puzzled, angry or confused at parent’s behavior.
Some of the emotions experienced by parents of special children:
Shock: The initial feelings of most parents on discovering that their child is not like others are disbelief and guilt. It can’t happen to me! Or why me? Is the initial reaction. There is deep sense of bitterness, a feeling that they did not deserve it. They may be like to refuse to listen that there is something wrong with the child at all.
Bargaining: With some parents, as they begin to realize that there is something different about their child, they begin to believe and hope that if they do certain activities for the good of others, their child will begin to improve. Many parents associate themselves with institutions for the handicapped thinking that: If I work hard for some worthy cause, the benefits will reach my child and she will become better.
Anger: Coping with a child with impairment is a difficult experience for the family. It’s quite natural for the parents to feel anger. Their anger may be directed at themselves, teachers, doctors, relatives, friends and even their children. They may begin to blame others for the child’s condition and get angry and irritable at them.
Depression:Depression is a common state of mind which parents of disable children often feel. They feel constantly burdened and worried about what will happen to the child, once they are not around. In a way Society is responsible for such behavior on part of parents. If the community comes to know about their child, there is a tendency in most of us to believe that one member of a family has some disability, then there must be something “wrong”with entire family.
Acceptance:  Let us understand the meaning of acceptance with our own life experiences. We all live in a family. Each one is aware of the qualities of others- their strengths and limitations. There are some qualities which we admire and some we bear it. Yet, there is a bond of affections among all the members. Same way, the parents are fairly realistic in the view of their child’s strengths. They are aware of what the child is capable of doing and what she cannot do. When the feelings of acceptances are high, parents feel positive with the hope that‘ALL IS WELL’


HetalOza
Educator

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