On OTs, God & Mom's love...

My OT peers are pretty amazing people.

I knew one of the girls had a special needs child but today I just found out that 2 others also have special needs children. This is partly what inspired them to pursue OT.

One young lady commented about how hurt she was when her daughter finished her long-term therapy because the therapy office was the only place where she and her daughter felt they 'belonged.' She would go weekly and talk with other parents about life and the ups and downs of having a special needs child.

I didn't know there was so much effort and time that goes into caring for these children. I mean, I knew there was effort and time, but I guess I hadn't thought much about how much effort and time. You have to take the child to and from therapy sessions and work with the child on therapy at home. And if they have Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy, doctor appoints and whatever else they may have. It can be overwhelming driving to and from these appointments. And what if you have other kids?! How do you know if you're providing them with all the love and attention they need? Having one special needs child can be a full-time job in itself, as one of my classmates pointed out (she said she didn't work and she can't imagine how people work and take care of a special needs child). It's a lot of pressure on a family.

I was also intrigued by a comment one of the women made...it was something about how 75% of marriages with special needs children end in divorce. 75 percent! That's amazing to me. A comment was also made about how it's normally men that can't take the pressure.

As biased as my next comment will sound, I can see how men can't take the pressure. If you think about it, a mother has a bond with her child from conception. That's the very, VERY beginning. This is when the kid is just a speck, a speck so small you can't even see it. Mom loves it, cares for it, talks to it, feeds it, provides for it...she does EVERYTHING. The father may support and take care of the mother but his bond really starts when the baby is born...then he is really able to love it, care for it, talk to it, feed it provide for it and so on. Think about Mom's love compared to Dad's love. It's different. It's usually more nurturing. Think about all the Mom's who have kids that do terrible things, like steal, murder and rape. Mom's always love their kids. They're always there. Think about all the celebrities and sports players. What's the first thing they say when interviewed: "I just want to say hi to Mom," "I love you Mom," "I just want to thank my Mom," and so on. It's always about Mom.

Think about the Mom's of the two men that killed all those people in those terrible Brown's Chicken murders in Palatine, IL. I was watching the news and the mother of one of the killers was heartbroken, for both herself and the families of the victims. The jury did not rule for the death penalty for the killer and his Mom commented about how grateful she was for this decision. I thought to myself, 'My God...with all the hatred the community feels for these two men we forget that they have Moms that love them...no matter what they've done.'

If you're Christian, as I am, isn't this how God's love is? Unconditional..no matter what you've done?

Unconditional is pretty darn amazing...Interesting, isn't it? Definitely something to think about...