1. See Your Emotions Differently
Receiving a diagnosis is a major, unexpected change. You may experience a LOT of big, conflicting emotions. As parents, we often feel guilty about the negative ones we’ll have – frustration, anger, grief, resentment, loneliness, heartbreak.
2. Cope and accept – with compassion
“Everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy… and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say “Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned.” And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away… because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.”
– Welcome to Holland, by Emily Pearl Kinglsey, on raising a child with a disability (full poem here)
3. Find meaningful support
Our Clay parents often tell us that they feel lonely after a diagnosis – all of a sudden, the parenting advice shared in friend groups no longer seems to apply. This is why it is so crucial to have support from other parents and experts who truly understand.
“… So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.”
– Welcome to Holland, by Emily Pearl Kinglsey, on raising a child with a disability (full poem here)