Most parents are not given this opportunity, they are working to keep insurance for their family or to help support their household or because they truly love their career, and honestly some parents are just not ready to give up their current lifestyle for a much less glamorous one. Neither choice is wrong, but for me, it was about being there for both of my children during a very confusing and difficult time of their lives. Brother was doing very well in the full time daycare program he was enrolled in, but he has also benefited from me staying home. I wish that I could have sheltered him a little longer from Sissy's seizures, but after two 911 calls last summer and 3 hospital stays in the last year, he has become very understanding of his little sister's health concerns. The obvious reason for me to stay home was to be more active in Sissy's therapies and seizure control.I am so proud of the progress she has made over the last year, and I believe that being present at all of her therapy sessions in order to reinforce what the therapists were doing at home was influential in her progress. Now that she is enrolled in a school for children with special needs, I am not as involved in her therapy sessions, but just as involved at home. Early intervention is so important, and I only wish I could have stayed home with her sooner. It is the one regret that I do have.
My Hubby and I didn't think we could afford for me to stay home full time (and sometimes we still don't) but with a strict budget and the removal of unnecessary luxuries we are doing alright. We don't live in a super fancy house, but it is becoming home. We don't take extravagant vacations, but we do enjoy spending time close to home together as a family and with friends. We don't drive new flashy cars, but we do get where we need to go just fine. I work part time at night and on weekends to make sure that we don't miss a bill or a meal, and it's not something I am ashamed to do. I do it because I love my family, unconditionally. I often read your wonderful comments and think I do not deserve your praise...I'm just doing what I need to do to keep my family healthy and happy. Sissy's diagnosis has effected our entire family, but not in a way that you should feel "sorry" for us. Yes, we have our own special challenges that we face daily, but each challenge prepares us for the next. Sometimes we don't get it right the first time and sometimes we fail, but we keep moving forward. It's all anyone can do, not matter what your situation may be. Do I wish our life was easier? Of course I do, but right now life is far from easy and it has taken me a year to be ok with that.
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