Where Advocacy, Special Needs Parenting, & Life Collide
On Living Up to Our Own Potential – Parenting & the Real World
Why Being a Special Needs Parent isn’t the Only Job You Need
Yes, I usually blog about special needs parenting and such, or have some great giveaways going on too (*hint*) … but today I want to put my professional’s hat on for a minute and talk with you about something that has been in the back of my mind for a while.
I think, when we surround ourselves with people who are experts in their fields, and we can talk with them, relate to them, and learn from them, we are bound to wonder if our own worth can come close.
A while back, in a sudden bout of genius (why, yes, I can occasionally still use my brain!) I started seeking out women who were doing what I needed to be doing – earning a living of some kind online. Many of these women are bringing in a second paycheck. Not so in the Moody household. Some of these women were truly amazing, making millions from home and balancing family too.
I’m a different kind of gal, in that working from home, and using the talents I have, is based on need, want, and hefty dose of reality. I constantly struggle to ‘toot my own horn’ but have been fortunate that others have seen the worth in me.
I struggle with this, though. I tell myself, often … I’m just a mom, just a wife, and I’m often needed far more at home than I am by my clients. But finding worth in myself, in what I can do for myself AND for others … that’s a role I AM growing into.
Let me explain, just a little, since there are so many new faces around here. My hubby is disabled, his health has major ups and downs. He and our three sons all share the same rare disorder, which has additionally caused my guys to have additional dxs, from Epilepsy to Autism, to Cerebral Palsy, to so many more … seriously … we’re the walking medical encyclopedia in familial form *grin*
The fact … I have VERY few clients, but the ones I have value me because I work HARD for them, my services are highly VALUED, because I put as much of myself into my work as I can.
I have my own demons to deal with (stress does that to you, don’t you know *grin*), and I do still have issues with tooting my own little horn … but it’s a role I … and any of you who are serious about growing into your business (or your blog?) … WILL grow into. You DON’T have a choice, and I don’t have a choice, if I am to be successful.
Yikes … that was long-winded … I’ll run and hide now *grins*
That Sounded Great, But How do you Really Feel?
I have moments of greatness in dealing with it all, and moments I would rather forget, when the stress and the fear holds me back from being the wife, the mother, the WOMAN, that I want and need to be.
But my story is being told, a little at a time, and it is in the telling that I can help others. Part of the reason I work for others is because I love that, I LOVE being a part of that growth in others. It gives me greater purpose, greater passion, outside of “just” being a wife and mother. I’m so focused on being that wife and mother so much of the time … I need that – and my clients need it as well.
Some day I will have a small oasis of calm here and it will be my own space, but until then, I can find that oasis in doing what I can to help others, and myself, grow into their lives.
Life is what you make of it. Business is as well. But family, family is what you are given, so finding a balance between the two – a challenge I’ve found imperative to hurdle.
Your Turn: What about you? Do you work from home, blog, try to do something for yourself in between the craziness that is parenting, or special needs parenting? I’d love to hear your best tip in the comments – what makes it all worthwhile?
Katrina Moody
Graphic Designer, Wordpress Addict, Blogger at Kat's Media & More
I'm a special needs parent before just about everything else in life, but also a passionate advocate for my three boys and husband, who all have a bit of awesomeness about them. Awesomeness = Axenfeld-Rieger Syndrome, Autism, Epilepsy, Dyslexia, Cerebral Palsy, and more. It all adds up to some awesome kids and an amazing family.
Latest posts by Katrina Moody (see all)
- Special Needs Kids Win the World! 29 Great Bike Giveaway Winners! - May 17, 2013
- Our Birth Story and the Story of Hope - May 8, 2013
- Awesome Adaptive Bike Giveaway for Children with Special Needs - May 6, 2013
I am a work-at-home mom too, and I have to admit that this job actually gave me the chance to be able to take care of my children while working. I make sure that I see the children over my glass window in my little “office” while working so I know that they aren’t doing anything dangerous while I work though.