DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH
I was motivated to post this blog because of something a friend of mine and father posted on Facebook...I want to thank Frank for reminding us all of the rights and treatment of children with special needs. Much respect goes out to the Beltram and Dantzer families, and to Ms. N. Cruz; they are people who I know personally, and they have shown me what unconditional love looks like. The truth of the matter is every child has special needs, and every child is special.
In dedication to all these parents all across the globe, I post this excerpt from my book.
“In this chapter, I bring my views on a topic rarely discuss when talking about fatherhood; and that is fathers of special-needs children. Every parent wishes, above all things, that their child will be born mentally and physically healthy. Unfortunately, this is not the case for some parents. I have not had to raise a child with a mental or physical disability, so I won't pretend to know the difficulties of doing so. But, I do know that if a father turns away from this most challenging but yet rewarding task that father is a coward. Some fathers are unwilling to accept this child because of their disability (s), unwilling to step up to the plate of fatherhood. They will leave this challenging task to the mother or a family member. But true men will embrace it and stay faithful to the call of fatherhood. Real fathers will view these precious children like any other children who needs the loving attention of a father. They will see possibilities and untapped potentials in them. Parents of a special-needs child should encourage and assist that child in reaching their highest potential. A father of a special need child should not focus on what that child can't or won't be able to do, but rather they should focus on what they can do. Fathers of a special need child can help that child find and develop the gift that's within them.
I do not judge any parent who, after doing everything they can do for their special need child, decides to place their child in a facility that they think would be more beneficial to that child’s well-being. Nevertheless, every special-need child deserves the unyielding support and affection of a mother and father as it is crucial to their development. Facilities that care for special-needs children should require parents to play an active role in their children’s development and progress. In fact, part of their funding should be devoted to programs that focus on parent-outreach and encourage parental involvement. Parents of special-need children must keep in mind that these facilities are not meant to take the place of a loving, involved father. These facilities should be used only as augmenting services to their parenting.
I commend those fathers who are raising special-needs children and have committed themselves to making sure they receive a happy and healthy life that they deserve. If you are a father of special-need child/children, my hope is that you stay active and nurturing, never stop seeing the possibilities that they possess. They are diamonds in the rough; while their appearance may be deceptive, their potential should not be underestimated. The things that they are unable to do, often cast a shadow over the things they can do. Every child deserves a father especially the special-need child...
...Despite their disability and against all odds their will to be proved more powerful than the opposing forces. They and others are living proof that your disability does not disable you.”~Excerpt from WHO'S YOUR DADDY?
