13 Signs You’re a Mom of a KWSN

There are many things that let us know we have special kids who happen to have special needs.

Since some of our friends and loved ones don’t know a lot of them, I thought I’d give them a little Cliff’s Note into what identifies us.  If you agree with any of these or would like to add more, please let me know in the comment section!  I’d love to hear from you!

1.) You have friends who greet you with a hot cup of coffee or piece of chocolate every time they see you.  These friends know that the way to help you de-stress is by giving you copious amounts of whatever works for you.  Be it wine, Kit Kats, or books, they arrive with these items in hand and once they’ve gotten your attention away from your precious darling children, they are able to reintroduce you to adult conversation.  These friends are keepers.

2.) You speak and sign your conversations even if your kid isn’t with you.  It’s a habit. Friends, just go with it.  Try to learn some new signs, and maybe we’ll teach you to sign some dirty words.

3.) You spend more time in doctors’ offices, therapy centers, hospitals, and treatment centers than you spend at home.  Try to make a game of it and see if you can beat your time from last year.  Or compare times with friends and give a small gift to the one who wins for longest visits.

4.) Your child’s therapist is your best friend.  You both hate your insurance provider and hope that they get a lump of coal in their stocking this year.

5.) You have more medical equipment in your home than you have furniture.  Perhaps you could dress it up with a nice throw and a pillow?

6.) Most moms are tired looking at some point in their motherhood.  We moms of KWSNs are exhausted.  We have been up since conception, some of us.  We have ingested so much coffee that it now makes up about half of what’s in our bloodstream.  We sleep in 30-minute to two-hour shifts.  Don’t believe me?  If I’m wearing makeup today, ask me what under-eye concealer I wear…if it’s working.  If not, just nod and hand me my damn Kit-Kat.

7.) Our service dog is part of the family.  And by that, I mean just one more mouth to feed, and one more thing that poops…but we totally love him and can’t imagine life without him.  Especially when he’s alerting us to seizure activity.  Or laying across our darling baby’s body to help decrease anxiety.  Don’t mind the dog hair on my tres chic black yoga pants that go with everything.

8.) We wear said black yoga pants because we don’t have time to buy matching outfits, especially ones that go with everything.  Besides, black is slimming, no?

9.) You have your pharmacist’s number memorized and they know you by face/name when you walk in the door.  They are your other best friends.

10.) You’ve changed diapers daily for the last 11 years with no end in sight, and your oldest child is almost 12.  I sure wish we could get potty-trained already!  Are you with me, Mamas?!

11.) Your iPhone has more specialist’s numbers than relatives and friends on your favorites list.  Those people end up being more important to have available at a moment’s notice.

12.) You repeat the same sentence over and over multiple times enunciating every syllable “just so” hoping that your non-verbal child will pick up one word or sound and start speaking.  It hasn’t happened yet, but we’re getting there…I swear.  He’s making new sounds.  Really.

And 13.) You deny and then fight.  You deny there is anything wrong, or that the thing that is wrong isn’t really what it is.  You keep fighting, looking for it to be something else, anything else, really.  But once you accept, the real fighting starts.  That’s when you start fighting for treatments and cures.  And we just keep fighting.

Keep fighting, Mamas.  You guys rock, and we are so lucky to know you.