“Irreplaceable”: Encouragement for Parents of Children with Unique Challenges
Moms, no one will ever love your children like you do. No one can come close to being his or her fiercest protector and greatest source of comfort. You are their best advocate.
You are irreplaceable.
Dads, no one will be your children’s hero like you are. No one can build your daughter’s self esteem or son’s confidence like you can. You are their biggest fan.
You are irreplaceable.
Take time to create memories your children will cherish because your time with them is only for a season. This gift of time when your children are at home—it is time you will never get back. Don’t give away this gift of time by over scheduling. Don’t trade a strong relationship with your children for busyness or the pursuit of material things. Don’t let anyone steal that time from you. Not your job. Not their school. Not enrichment clubs, sports activities, or even church activities. Not anybody or anything.
That time is irreplaceable.
Moms and dads, no one will ever invest the kind of time you spend with your children. You know them better than anyone. You will be there for them for the rest of your lives. While friends will come and go in their lives, you will be the ones who share in the joy of their triumphs across time. You will be the first ones they come to in times of need. It will be your heart that breaks for them during their times of trial.
There is no one who will ever know your children the way you do—and still love them the way you do. You know all the good things and all the bad things about them—and you love them anyway.
When the world shows your children no love, it is your heart that pours out for them and back into them. And even when your children don’t show you they love you, know that they do love you.
When it comes to your children, you are the resident experts. Moms, you were the ones who experienced the labor of childbirth—and in some situations, the labors of adoption. Dads, it is your DNA that’s passed to your children and your “heart DNA” to your adoptive children—not anyone else’s. Teachers will instruct your children for a year or so. Pediatricians will see your children for their annual 15-minute wellness check and occasional sick visits. You are with them from day to day and year to year. It is you that gives your children a home, imparts within them values, and lays within them a foundation of faith.
You know their quirks and all that is special about them. So guard their hearts because they are sensitive, even when they seem tough.
Your children are beautiful and amazing, but you don’t hear that enough. The world doesn’t see their beauty like you do because different is not celebrated—and sometimes different goes unnoticed. But you notice. Your children are strong-hearted and talented and yes, they are smart. And don’t ever forget—just like you—they are irreplaceable too.
(Author’s Note: This was originally written for Utah’s premier psychology clinic for divergent learners, Early Life Child Psychology and Education Center. Copyright 2015 by Kathryn Porter, all rights reserved.)
