One for the Special Needs Dads…
Emmy Heaton
Hi I'm Emmy, mum to AJ who has cerebral palsy.
I say one for the dads as most of the blog posts I see are all directed at the mothers of special needs children. Well, I think the dads deserve some recognition too!
So, what’s so special about a special needs dad then? And why don’t they get the praise and uplift that special needs mums do? For us, we have many reasons why my sons dad is so special…
He’s our rock
Right from day one he’s always been the ‘strong’ one. The one who takes everything on the chin.
He puts himself and his feelings last when it comes to mine and our sons. He’s always there, on the other end of the phone to reassure me after we’ve been to a not so good appointment and he always there to wipe the tears and pick up the pieces when it’s all got a little too much, because if daddy says everything’s okay - it must be.
He’s our provider
He works all the hours he can and does his very best to make sure we have what we need.
Staying at work over the weekends to save spending money on fuel if he knows we need to save for something (that’s probably extortionately priced, as most special needs stuff is!!)
He’s our son’s idol
Although Aj doesn’t speak, or really show any kind of affection. It’s beyond obvious the love he has for his daddy.
There are certain smiles that only daddy can get, I’m guessing that’s because the two of them are so alike, they’re both like mischievous kids when they play together.
We visited the zoo this weekend, and Danny was pushing Aj in his wheelchair using Aj’s feet, not caring about the strange looks from others, Aj was happy - and that’s all that mattered to him.
They have a very strong bond together, they’re inseparable when he’s home at the weekend! Danny sees past Aj’s disabilities and problems, he sees his little boy, his perfect little man. They even sleep holding hands!
He’s the optimistic one
To him, there’s nothing Aj cannot do. He is always willing to give something a try, and very rarely will admit defeat.
He wants Aj to have a chance at everything in life, he sits him on his knee and holds his hands pretending to drive in the car, they sing, dance (with help from daddy), they wrestle (while Danny is stretching Aj’s muscles), they play on the trampoline and lounge in the jacuzzi.
He does all this even though it takes so much effort to help Aj do things and he rarely shows must interest, but he knows he’s helping Aj by doing his Physio through play.
So, what I really want to say it THANK YOU. Thank you for everything you do for us and thank you for never giving up. Happy Father’s Day, super dad!
