My Supports
Support systems in my life are abundant! My family supports me in my role as an early childhood professional and as a student. My position in the early childhood field can be a demanding position, traveling to threes states and at times across the nation to the east coast can make my eight-year-old daughter, Tamara, wonder why this job is so important to her mom. Thanks to my husband’s work schedule, working 40 hours in three days, there is many times my husband and Tamara has an opportunity to travel with me. Whether we are traveling together, or I am on the road alone, my husband takes on the roles of mom and dad to take care of our youngest daughter. My 30-year-old daughter, Stefanie, is the other great support system in my life. Stefanie loves taking care of her little sister while I am traveling so my husband does get some reprieve from taking on both roles of mom and dad in my absence. Stefanie also entertains her little sister while I am doing homework.
My biggest supporter while dieting is Tamara. A few weeks ago I was diagnosed with high cholesterol and thankfully, I was provided the choice to take medication or change my lifestyle! I have chosen to change my eating habits and add a little more exercise to my daily routines. With every bite of food I take, Tamara will ask me if it is healthy for me and she loves to walk with me after dinner.
And, what would my world be like without my laptop with all the supporting software and my Blackberry? Thanks to technology, I am able to text and call my family while I am traveling and access information as needed. These tools support my success in my career and my education. These tools also support my family as they each pursue their educational and personal goals with one of the favorite websites for Tamara being the www.mathfactcafe.com.
Imaginary Challenge
As I was walking through the Salt Lake City airport on Friday I was watching a mom walking with her little girl. Before I start this story I would like the reader to imagine the hundreds of people buzzing around this airport, racing to meet flight connections, suitcases on wheels flying behind them, backpacks being tossed from one shoulder to the next, and people stopping in the middle of the walkway when they realize they are lost. Now imagine a little girl of about three or four-years-old, maybe five with physical disabilities. The little girl is determined to push her stroller in the hectic airport and mom is right behind her guiding the little girl as she struggles with each step. Neither mom nor daughter realizes all the chaos surrounding them; they both have a smile on their face and appear to be content in their own world, even with a disability.
Not thinking about this assignment at the time, I began to imagine what kind of mom I would be if my Tamara was born with a disability. Would I have the patience of this mom? Would I be happy amongst chaos as I watched Tamara struggle with each step through the airport pushing a stroller? Supports I would need to support our success would be a strong connection with a local Parent-to-Parent support group. I would also be reading all information possible from Wrightslaw, a free special education advocate website that offers support in learning the laws that support the Individual Disability Education Act (IDEA). Wrightslaw provides a lot of information on how to advocate for your child with facts and not emotion.
Since I would not want to be in my current position in the early childhood field and raise a child with special needs my support system at home would change. I would need my husband and Stefanie to be available while I was keeping up on the latest research to support Tamara with her special needs and to continue providing the same wonderful care they are currently providing. Without these supports, the stress of raising a child with or without special needs alone may interfere with my emotional balance causing Tamara to experience additional stress in her little life.
