Additional Needs

Who Am I?

Posted by Amy Sweeney on 24th April 2019 Additional Needs, Disabilities

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Stranger: “Where do you work? What’s your job?”

Me: “Work? My job? Well I, I emm... I’m a carer.. for my own child...”A question that I always tend to get a bit nervous over.

Why?

Because how do I answer?

I HATE saying that I’m a carer, not because there’s anything wrong with that because there’s definitely not - carers are truly amazing, but I just don’t really feel like a carer I guess. I’m just a mum?

Doing what every other mum would do in my situation!

When I’m asked if I work or what I do for a living I just don’t know what else to say!

I stay at home because I can’t go back to work.

I need to be around for appointments and therapies and although I’ve actually tried looking, I just can’t find anything that would work around my child’s needs. But I feel guilty for not being at work - how crazy is that!?

I think it’s something a lot of mums feel, whether their child has any additional needs or not, we feel like we should be out working.

Because that’s what we have always been taught.

From such a young age we are asked what we want to be when we grow up, and even if you were to say “a mum” then you would probably give the person asking the question a laugh and then be told that yes, that’s a lovely thing to wish but you also need to have a job!

It’s great to have a career and do well at your job but after we do have children we also need to be able to feel like if we don’t return to work straight after maternity leave then that’s not a bad thing!

I wanted to go back to work after having children and it was never my intention to stay at home but I am trying to tell myself more and more not to feel guilty!

To enjoy the days and be happy knowing that it's not a possibility for me to return to work just yet or any time soon probably! And that’s ok.