AOL

So it was kinda exciting when 2 Saturday’s ago I received a couple of messages about my article being on the front page of AOL.com!  (I can’t link directly to the AOL page).  I didn’t even know that could happen and have no idea how the article got picked up, but of course I was pretty excited about the whole thing.  There was some interesting dialogue in the comments section.  Of course there were some flat out rude and ignorant comments–which is to be expected and which luckily looks as if they were deleted by a moderator.  But many comments were from fellow special needs families talking about the blessings their children have brought in to their lives and how grateful they are for these wonderful children.  Other comments came from mothers who have recently been in the ‘receiving bad news’ situation and were grateful to know they weren’t alone.  However the comments that seemed to stir the most dialogue centered around families with children of special needs who actually feel quite different than we do, and than the families I’ve interviewed on my spotlight.  Some of these moms admit that they wish they had taken another route (abortion, adoption) with their special needs children because of the lack of support–emotionally, financially and otherwise–they’ve had over the years.  While I’m never in support of abortion, my heart really went out to these women who haven’t had the same support that many of us have and who have felt more burdened than peace and love.  Of course I don’t think this is specific to families of children with special needs, this could happen to any mother, father or family–life can be tough and overwhelming in many different unforeseen circumstances.  I found the timing to be interesting because I had talked to B just days before about the fact that our experience isn’t everyone’s experience in the special needs world and while I want to spread a message of hope and love, I don’t want to ignore the hard truths that many other families face.  If you get a chance to click over and read through some of the comments, I’d love to hear your (kind and respectful) thoughts!