swallow me up. I was not going to
be that “woe is me” girl who
craved the attention from her
friends. I would not have them look
at me with that sorrowful look. I
would wipe that look right from
their faces! I made it my mission to
teach Casey not to use his disability
or adversities as a crutch, and to
try to have some fun along the way.
I come from a family filled with
very funny women. When the crap
hit the fan, so to speak, the room
would often be filled with laughter.
Our family motto is “laughing is so
much better than crying.”
My father would remind me of
this when I felt the walls closing in,
along with other powerful sayings,
such as, “Life is like a card game.
It is not about the hand you get, but
how you play that hand. Play it
with dignity and grace.” Casey has
sure done that and more – why
couldn’t I do the same?
Casey and his brother Christian
are the two greatest accomplishments
of my life. They are incredible
men with big hearts and can
make a room burst into laughter.
That is a gift that I hope they carry
with them throughout their lives.
So, if you ever feel like this
rollercoaster ride of motherhood is
not what you expected, here are
some tips I have lived by that have
helped me get through:
������ ������������ ���������������� ���������� ���������� ����
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���������� ���������� ������ �������� ���������� ��������������
�������� Stop the insanity. Every child
has their own different journey,
whatever that may be, and every
mom has their own unique way of
raising them.
������������������������������������������������������������
�������� ������������������ �������� ������������ ��������������
������������������������������������������������������������������
���� ������ ������ ������������������������ This job never
ends, no matter how old your kids
get, so give yourself some grace
along the way.
������������������������������������������������������������������
As moms, we have heard this a
thousand times – but do we even do
it? No matter what, we can never
lose ourselves – fight for that. A
happy mom makes for happy kids,
so leave the guilt at the door and be
kind to yourself.
���������������������������������� Life goes by so
fast and you blink and they grow
up. Enjoy the small moments and
take one day at a time. By doing
this, you breathe and see the small
moments more clearly, and enjoy
the process along the way.
But, most of all, embrace the
chaos and uncertainty. There is no
perfect family in the world. All
families have their loops and
curves on that roller coaster ride.
Believe me, laughing while being
whipped around will get you
through every miserable day. That,
and a bottle of wine!
Kathy Chlan is the author of “Maternally
Challenged: How My Special
Needs Son Taught Me to Sack
Up & Laugh” and the writer behind
the popular website Unfiltered Mom,
www.unfilteredmom.com.
/www.unfilteredmom.com
