A new family member is always a source of joy, everyone mobilizes to welcome the baby and congratulate happy parents, however, the reality is that this situation is not always as idyllic and wonderful as we would like.
Problems or unforeseen events sometimes arise that can cause discomfort to family members. One is the birth of children with disabilities. Understanding how this news affects the family nucleus is essential to better organize all associated obstacles?Read this article to learn more!
- “Disability doesn’t define you.
- What defines you is how you deal with the challenges of disability.
- “Jim Abbot?.
First, children with disabilities influence the different members and relationships within the family, having to consider that this condition will be associated with difficulties at different stages of that person’s life cycle, which can create tensions among family members.
If they do not understand and control these tensions it is normal for several conflicts to arise, on the one hand, the sentimental couple can begin to distance themselves and stop communicating effectively, which will create a vicious circle of discomfort that will be very difficult. to stop.
On the other hand, conflicts may arise with the disabled child, because he may be overprotected and this restricts his autonomy, without recognizing that he has skills that are not affected, or that are only partially affected, and that you can benefit from greater independence. . Problems may arise among siblings, as more responsibilities or responsibilities may be imposed that do not correspond to those without disabilities. There may also be a sense of denial or shame at the situation in which they must live.
However, this can also have a positive impact on the whole family, in fact it can strengthen family ties, foster cohesion and closeness between different members, that is, it can improve everyone’s resilience.
“They put us in situations to build our character, not to destroy us. “Nick Vujicic?
Although society advances, there are still many misconceptions about people with disabilities, so rejection is still present today, which can lead families with children with disabilities to become increasingly isolated, reducing both the number of social relationships and their quality and leisure.
This degradation of the social sphere can also occur in the professional sphere, if family members feel that it will not be possible to reconcile this situation with their work, they may end up leaving their jobs, even if they do so with the care of the staff. in the family, it can become another form of tension, because in addition to affecting the well-being of the caregiver, this decision also has an economic impact.
“The world cares more about the disabled than the disabled themselves. “Warwick Davis?
Everything we have discussed so far does not affect different family members in the same way, as is easy to imagine, this family, social, professional and economic situation can affect the health of all family members, but especially those responsible for the care of the person with disabilities.
In this or these people, an excessive responsibility for the care of the other can lead to the appearance of a great emotional discomfort, it is normal that feelings of sadness, anger, anxiety or guilt arise for the situation lived and negative emotions.
This affects them not only psychologically, but can also make them more tired and exhausted than normal, so they realize that their physical health is deteriorating. As we said, having children with disabilities can lead to additional difficulties in life, but they can only become situations that benefit us if we learn to manage them properly. Let’s work for everyone’s well-being!
Images courtesy of Nathan Anderson and John Appel.