How To Be A Better Parent To Your Disabled Child

01/26/2023 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Being a parent to a disabled child can be challenging, and there’s almost nothing that can truly prepare you for it. That said, it can also be incredibly rewarding, as even if your child does have special needs, they’re still your beloved child, with all of the love and connection that comes with that.

Just because your child may be differently abled in no way denigrates the love you share for them, or the quality of your parenting even if that parenting may come across a great deal of challenge. Willingly taking this on and being there will fill you with more satisfaction than you could ever know, and as you move forward you’ll become stronger, better informed, and a loving family unit to be envied.

In this post, we will explore some of the ways that you can be the best parent possible to your disabled child.

Fully Understand Your Child’s Condition

One of the most important things you can do as a parent of a disabled child is to learn as much as you can about your child’s condition. This means researching the condition, talking to other parents of children with the same condition, and talking to healthcare professionals. The more you know about your child’s condition, the better equipped you will be to help them.

This might involve learning how to better help an autistic child as they learn to process their emotions, or simple practical steps like how to better help a child with muscular dystrophy utilize their wheelchair. This will be the work of a lifetime, but learning will help you feel more capable as a parent, and fully understand the responsibilities of each day. Luckily, you’ll

You will be able to understand the challenges they face and know how to best support them.

Embrace Your Child For Who They Are, Not What They Lack

Every child is unique, and that is especially true for children with disabilities. Instead of focusing on what your child can’t do, focus on what they can do and the virtues they have. Embrace their unique abilities and talents, and help them to develop these skills. This will help them to build confidence and self-esteem, which is essential for their overall well-being. In other words, it’s important to be their biggest advocate in every way.

Sure, you might have to alter your holiday plans to places with better accessibility options or outfit your home so they can more easily enter their bed at night, or help them with their daily hygienic duties, but all of this is small in comparison to the loving relationship you’ll nurture, and after some time becomes routine.

Moreover, your child will likely face many challenges, and it’s important that you are their biggest supporter in that light. This means speaking up for them when necessary and making sure that their needs are being met. It also means educating others about your child’s condition and helping them to understand the challenges that your child faces too.

Unconditional Love Is Important

Children with disabilities often face extra challenges, and it’s important that they feel loved and supported. Show them unconditional love and let them know that they are valued and appreciated. This will help them to feel secure and develop a positive self-image, which is absolutely essential for their well-being, because they most likely have a lot to be proud of.

We say this as if there’s an implication there wouldn’t be, but we only say this as a means to counteract the comparison that disabled children may make of themselves compared to their peers, particularly if they are only physically and not mentally disabled. This is why ensuring they feel enough day after day is important.

Find The Right Educational Environment

Ensuring that your child receives a quality education is crucial for their development and future success. This may mean a traditional classroom setting, a specialized school for children with disabilities, or homeschooling.

Research your options and visit the schools or programs to see if they are the right fit for your child. Talk to teachers and administrators to get a sense of the school’s philosophy on care and approach to teaching children with disabilities. Be an active participant in your child’s education, and communicate with teachers and staff to ensure that your child’s needs are being met.

In some cases, they may be secured a place at a great school specifically designed to help people with your child’s disabilities. While public schools can be a good resource for disabled children all the same, sometimes a specialized environment has access to better funding in order to make more appropriate provisions available – like a free disabled-access bus to school program, or taking trips to accessible areas more often.

Of Course, Take A Proactive Approach Towards Medical Advice

It’s essential to follow the medical advice and treatment plan provided by healthcare professionals for your child’s condition. This may include regular check-ups, therapy sessions, and medication.

Keep detailed records of your child’s medical history and treatment, and communicate any concerns or changes in their condition to the healthcare providers in question. Make sure that you understand the risks and benefits of any treatments or procedures and ask questions if you’re unsure of anything.

It’s also important to be aware of medical negligence, which is when a healthcare professional fails to provide an acceptable standard of care, leading to harm or injury. If you suspect that your child has been a victim of medical negligence, seek legal advice and report the incident. You can take legal action to seek compensation for any harm caused to your child. For instance, this cerebral palsy attorney can help you fight against negligence that might have contributed to a condition.

Taking a healthy interest and being a constant part of their medical development will help you become a better carer for your child, and as mentioned in the first subheading, ensures you’ll better frame yourself on a more acceptable level. In the long run, this could make the process more manageable.
With this advice, you’ll be sure to move into disabled parenthood as the best advocate, carer, and loved one, with both you and your child benefiting from the wonderful bond you share.

Going Healthy, Health, Lifestyle, Parenting

Health Habits Parents Need To Start With Early

01/26/2023 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Every one of us has some bad habits that we would rather not. In fact, you may have experienced how difficult those habits can be to get away from and this can be the case because they have been ingrained in us since childhood. Rather than letting your kids pick up bad habits that they would rather get rid of, here are a few healthier habits that you can ingrain into them while they’re still young.

healthy kids, parenting, hygiene, brushing teeth, oral care

Link – Pixabay License

Get up and get moving

Exercise is one of the most difficult habits for even adults to pick up, themselves when they’re not accustomed to it. Getting the motivation and getting used to being more active can be quite the hurdle. Your kids are likely to already be quite active, with playtime doing a lot to keep them moving for the first few years. However, as they get older, if they’re not getting into sports teams, then it’s a good idea to find ways to be active together. Whether it’s with bike rides, walks, or anything else, your kids are a lot more to keep up if you’re there taking part with them.

Taking care of their teeth

The impact that dental neglect can have on a child’s self-esteem and confidence in the future can be devastating. Your child isn’t to blame if this happens, it’s usually due to a poor enforcement of dental hygiene habits as a child. Make sure that you visit the dentist with them early and often, taking care of their teeth and getting all of the oral care advice that you need. If they get into the routine of brushing, and then later flossing and rinsing once they have their adult teeth, it’s not a habit that they’re likely to lose as they get older. If they don’t get that habit early, they might not get it at all.

Making good eating choices

A lot of parents feed their kids all manner of unhealthy snacks, like candy, soda, chips, and more, that are going to do very little to give their body the nutrients it needs. It’s easy to use snacks as a reward or a way to placate them. However, these can soon become everyday parts of their lifestyle. You should start making efforts to direct the family’s diet in a healthier direction. Employ some helpful tricks such as offering choices of healthy foods and finding vegetable alternatives to ensure they’re eating better.

Recognizing risks

Children do not have the same sense of risk or danger that adults have. In a lot of cases, they may not truly get the consequences of certain health risks until they experience them. However, while trying not to give them a fearful disposition, you should try to teach them to recognize and avoid potentially harmful things. There are plenty of good kids’ books about these.

If you can turn good health practices into learned behaviors for your kids, they’re a lot more likely to stick with them as they go through life. Keep that in mind with the tips above.

Fitness, Going Healthy, Going Strong, Health, Lifestyle, Tips

How Runners Can Better Care For Their Feet

01/25/2023 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

If you want to keep healthy, then you will be fully aware that it’s important to exercise. Of course, it’s not always easy to get as much as you should, but there are nonetheless a number of ways you can do this more effectively. One of the simplest and easiest is to just go running on a regular basis. But if you are going to do that, you will need to take care of your body, and in particular your feet. There are a few things you should bear in mind on that front, which we are going to look into right now.

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Pic – CCO License

Listen To Pain

Your running shouldn’t ever cause you actual pain, only discomfort. So if you notice that you are experiencing pain in your feet while running, you should really make sure to listen to that pain rather than ignore it. In other words, you should stop running as soon as possible and attend to the issue. It might be that you have something as simple as an ingrown toenail – and if so, the ingrown toenails treatment you need is simple enough – or you might have a sprained ankle or something. In any case, don’t ignore it.

Warm-Up & Cool Down

You need to make sure you are warming up and cooling down before and after every workout. That is a really vital thing to do, and it’s the kind of thing you notice the difference once you stop doing it. If you are keen to take good care of your feet, this is going to be absolutely essential. All you need to do is stretch and get the body to a good level of limber, and then you can run with ease and without fear of harming yourself, including your feet most importantly of all.

Use Proper Footwear

Another thing you can do which will make a huge difference is to make sure that you use the proper footwear that you need. This is going to save your feet more than you might think, so it’s one of those things that are really worth trying to remember. This means using trainers or runners, some kind of footwear that is going to protect your feet and ensure that you are less likely to damage them in any way. If you do that, you are going to be in a much better place with regard to your feet when you run.

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Pic – CCO License

Allow Space
Speaking of shoes, you should generally follow the rule of thumb of always going half a size above what you think you need, because that is going to mean that you are much more likely to remain comfortable and less likely to damage your feet in any way. This is a really good rule that is worth remembering, and you’ll be amazed at what a difference it can truly make if you do this. So that is something that you might want to think about if you are keen to care for your feet more effectively while running.