Humor, Parenting

Special Needs Parenting: 12 Good, Great and Awesome Days

What’s your definition of a good day? Parents of children with special needs are always looking for the next developmental milestone, the next “teaching moment” for life skills, the next cause for gratitude.  By looking on the brighter side during times of hardship, it’s possible to see a definite pattern toward our goals.  Here are 12 examples of what makes a good day, a great day and an awesome day in a family with special needs.  Feel free to add your own examples in the comments below.

• Good Day: He ate 3 meals and a snack.
• Great Day: There were vegetables and protein in the meals.
• Awesome Day: He fed himself!

• Good Day: He expressed an interest in a board game.
• Great Day: The game held his interest for more than 5 minutes.
• Awesome Day: He won the game fair and square.

• Good Day: It was all contained in the bathroom.
• Great Day: Most of it went into the toilet.
• Awesome Day: She wiped herself afterwards!

• Good Day: You remembered to pack an empty 32 ounce container in the car for your day trip.
• Great Day: You also remembered to pack a change of clothes.
• Awesome Day: You didn’t need the change of clothes this time, and you drove home with almost a pound of fresh-picked blueberries.

• Good Day: She remembered to put dirty clothes in the hamper.
• Great Day: You remembered to do laundry.
• Awesome Day: She put away her own clean clothes!

• Good Day: The big mess on the kitchen floor earlier in the day means that the kitchen is now sparkling clean.
• Great Day: It was also an opportunity for a life skills lesson.
• Awesome Day: He loved the life skills lesson so much that he wanted to clean another room!

• Good Day: Got to school on time.
• Great Day: He greeted his teachers.
• Awesome Day: A teacher shared a great story about his progress!

• Good Day: No crying at the swimming pool.
• Great Day: She got her face wet and smiled!
• Awesome Day: She doggy-paddled to the deep end.

• Good Day: Got some fresh air outdoors, didn't need inhaler or breathing treatment afterwards.
• Great Day: Used the time to talk about science and do some nature photography.
• Awesome Day: She asked if we could go again next Sunday.

• Good Day: Slept in past 6:15am.
• Great Day: Only stirred once during the night.
• Awesome Day: Your partner got up so that you could sleep this time.

• Good Day: Only cried toward the end of the doctor’s appointment.
• Great Day: The doctor gave us a coupon for $100 off the prescription.
• Awesome Day: No prescriptions and we don’t have to come back until next year.

• Good Day: He remembered most of the rules for library behavior.
• Great Day: He asked for a specific book.
• Awesome Day: He found it on the shelf and checked it out with his own library card.