There are so many emotions.
Having a child with special needs feels much the same as it does not having one, and yet, well… different. Having a child with special needs feels like you won the lottery times infinity times a gajillion because, as every mum knows, having a baby introduces a level of love that we’d never have imagined.
Having a child with special needs also feels jealous, sad, and a little bit cheated.
It means that you have a baby – just like everybody else – and your moods and your boobs are elated and deflated. You’re overwhelmed and in awe. Just like every new mother. It also means that at some point, you realise that your child is different.
And because of that, so are you.
Having a child with special needs means that you’ll spend days, months, and (sometimes) years pretending. Pretending that everything’s fine. That he’s “normal.” You’ll talk about delays, and pretend to feel relieved when family and friends tell you not to worry about them. You’ll want so badly to believe that every baby develops at his own rate that you’ll try. You’ll try to believe. You may run with that for longer than makes sense because you don’t know how to make sense of the fact that you know. You know something’s wrong.
You’ll have friends with children who are mere weeks apart from yours when it comes to biological age. When they’re tiny, you won’t see a lot of differences. You’ll try not to focus on the small things and on the milestones. Your friends’ kids will get older, as will yours. And, all of a sudden, you’ll see more and more. You’ll notice differences. You’ll see your friends pretending not to see. Reassuring you that your son “will catch up,” meaning well and trying to say the right thing. Again, you’ll pretend to believe them.