Guest guest Posted February 5, 2001 Report Share Posted February 5, 2001 Dear , I'd love to join you in your pity party, but I don't trust anyone over 40 ... sorry! ;-) , I can only imagine how difficult it is for you to decide to find some care for , but I commend you for it. It is always hard to admit we can't do everything and keep everybody healthy and happy. Just realizing that may prove to be the hardest part of your situation. Now that you've decided to take action, you can have more control over the situation by systematically interviewing care providers. We are very fortunate that Dan's mother lives nearby. We went away for an overnight in the fall with just our daughter , and I think it was a great experience for all of us. Now I'm trying to arrange a weekend for just Dan and me. I can't believe Teddy will be two this month; that means it's been a LOOONG time since we spent a night together alone. Since I know nothing about respite care in California, I can't offer any specific advice. Teddy has eight hours of nursing care at night, five days a week (our choice not to have nursing on the weekends) because of his g-tube feedings. We also hire babysitters from a nearby university for our evenings out (usually pizza and Kmart, conveniently located in the same shopping center). We've had a couple of nursing students, and now have a special education major. It's great experience for them, and a much-needed break for us. Are 's special needs so great that she needs specialized care, or could you find a willing " regular " person who could care for her? Or, do you know any other parents of special needs kids who might be willing to do an exchange? I wish you lots of luck as you begin another phase in parenting . Do you have the book " Nobody's Perfect " by ? There's a chapter in there on separating which applies to all sorts of separation, from starting school to full time care. The whole book is one of my favorites to turn to again and again when I feel like the world's worst mother of a special needs kid. Keep us posted on how you're doing, and thanks for sharing your experiences with . Meg and Teddy, almost 2, bilateral perisylvian polymicrogyria, non-oral feeder, g-tube, crawling, climbing stairs, pulling to stand, using some sign language __________________________________________________ Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail - only $35 a year! http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.