Mental Challenged Support Group

Well to tell you the truth i do not feel that i am special and feel why me?? No one in y my family siblings, parents are helpful. there is reallynot alot of support in my area for Special familys. if she had Downs i would get all types of Special help. We are above income so we do not qualify for speical help all her life. Sorry but today i do not feel special at all.

i have never heard that term either, i have heard that God gives us no more than we can handle. i do not feel special either, but my daughter is special to me!! sorry about your loss, but hope you son and you are doing well, God bless, judy

I have MS, in a major relapse since August 2nd...have two teen stepkids I've been blessed to raise for five years now, and three special needs children of my own (one mentally ill adopted son, a daughter with moderate MR/high functioning autism/epilepsy/arthritis, and an eight year old son with very borderline pdd-nos. I homeschool the youngest two and love it...they've made leaps ahead in most areas (including social) since home. I have stopped asking why and just accept that this is my life and these are MY children whom I love regardless of disABILITIES. I have been told that only (even by my pastors) an amazingly special woman could raise such special needs children, let alone home school the ones I do and run a support group for parents/children who are spec needs and homeschooled. While I don't feel amazing or special, I do sometimes wonder how all THREE of my kids ended up this way, not why *I* have them...I just love them. So, while I may not feel special or amazing, it does give me a little lift and I always seem to hear it on days I desperately need that tiny lift.
God knows why my family is as it is and that's good enough for me. One day, I'll know the plans He laid out before I knew what I'd be doing with my life, til then, I simply love, live and try to thrill in our small victories!
SusanNC

I believe that special children are here for a purpose that we may not see. My sister, Kathy, is 52. She has inspired me and my husband to become special education teachers. We touched many lives during the 30 plus years we each taught. Every member of my family is more sensitive and giving because of Kathy's influence. My mom taught us that God made gave us Kathy because he knew we would take care of her. I think he gave us Kathy because he knew we would learn from her. Probably we are both right. Hugs and more hugs, Donna

Your post was very inspiring! I have three special needs kids and I have MS...but I've never asked why. I homeschool two of the three and they have made my life more full, a better person and have gotten to know them so much more at home (I am a spec ed teacher by trade but stay home to teach my kids now).
My pastor told me (on a hard day) that he is impressed (not easy to do, so it was quite a compliment! lol) and that God gave me THREE special children because he knew I would care, love and grow with them. He is right.
They are blessings.
SUsanNC

I visited a place where handicapped adults live. It was a wonderful community and tho I wasn't 'shopping' for a place, it made an impression on me as the mother of a mentally handicapped child. What shocked me was learning that of the residents, only about 7 % had family that visited. These people were thrown away and forgotten. Oh how my heart hurt. I was CHOSEN to be Kellie's mom. And she keeps me grounded and daily reminds me not to sweat the small stuff. One day, a sympathetic adult made the comment to me that won't it be wonderful when Kellie gets to heaven that she'll be just like us. Immediately, my reply was this. "If it's truly heaven, we will all be like her." And I mean it. God gives special parents an extra-special gift in 'special' children. We are different. We are changed. And though we are challenged, the rewards are amazing. Feel free to contact me anytime.

Kellie's Mom

I certainly don't feel "special" Guilty yes. I had my son on the IVF program and sometimes think my selfish desire for a child has created a hard/sad life for my boy. He will be okay while I'm alive but I fear for his future.

I feel people say these things because they don't know what else to say. I'm not particularly fond of this statement. I was given the challenge of raising a special needs son and struggle I do. Along with the struggle,though, is love coming from my son and my love for him. He makes me laugh and he makes me cry but I learned to take the bitter with the sweet and to appreciate the sweet more.

A special "thanks" to all who have sent their replies, especially Susan of NC because you said it ALL for me. As a little girl I wanted to have children, and that didn't change even when I got older. Unfortunately, some 'decisions' are taken out of our hands, in order to 'make way' for those things which are considered to be of 'more' importance, or at least that's the way I NOW see it.
Once again, being the aunt of a teenager with Asperger's, an older brother who's mentally challenged (and having being told since the age of 15, that I was more like my brother's 'mother' than his sister, 'kind of' set the stage for the future I guess.), and helping to look after a mom who's 78 and very set in her ways, can make life challenging and quite 'eventful' at times.
As for the 'God giving special children to special people' comment, I'm not exactly sure how accurate that might be. I also 'do not' consider myself to be special in any way, shape, or form because I KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I most definitely could not do the things that I've done, 'without' the help of God or my family (and some very special people that He's placed in my life as well.). That's about it for me.