If you are ready to join our next meeting of You’re Not Alone: Parent Support Group, go ahead and register here.
If you’re new here, read on for more details!
You’re Not Alone: Parent Support Group > Reclaiming Yourself, Jan. 29, 5pm PT.
Parenting a child with special needs can sometimes feel all-consuming, but it’s important to reclaim ourselves outside our caretaker roles!
Who were you before you had children? Who are you outside of all the roles that you play (mother, caregiver, wife, employee)? And how can you begin to find moments where you can simply be you? Join our group call to explore this topic.
Hi! I’m Aubri and I’m so glad you’re here.
Because I know how exhausted you are.
I know you have been thrust into a situation you never expected or asked for. I know you are utterly burned out …
… by the doctor appointments, the therapies, the medications, the long list of diagnoses and specialists, the grief, the sadness, the constant hypervigilance so you won’t be blind-sided again, living life in survival mode…
I know because I was once where you are.
After my Little Bear was born not breathing, after he was rushed to the hospital, after the MRI showed global diffuse brain damage, after the weeks in the NICU when he finally came home, I felt completely stuck.
I felt hopeless, desperately wanting to go back to the moments before his birth, when everything was still “okay”.
There were times when it all felt too hard and I couldn’t see how it would ever get better.
And I felt so very alone.
My friends and family wanted to be there for me, but many of them couldn’t or didn’t know how. Therapists and social workers were well-meaning, but most of them had no idea what my life was like.
They told me to make time for self-care. But how could I possibly find the time when my son needed every ounce of time and energy I had (and then some)? How could I even enjoy self-care when I was consumed with guilt for taking it?
They told me to grieve. But how could I grieve a child who was still here? Wouldn’t that mean I didn’t love or accept him?
Friends, I want you to know THERE IS HOPE.
I know your life looks completely different than you ever imagined. I know you feel overwhelmed, isolated, scared and uncertain and desperately wish you could find happiness again. I know what it’s like.
AND I know that, even when you can’t change your circumstances, there is still so much that you CAN do to reclaim hope, happiness and ease! You don’t have to sacrifice everything for your child. And you don’t have to be super-mom (even though, let’s face it, you OBVIOUSLY are)!
I have created a life I never could have imagined back then. And it’s my mission to help parents exactly like you.
I’m not here to tell you that my life now is perfect.
Or that I’ve moved past the grief. Or that I never get overwhelmed in the present or worried about the future. When my son has a big seizure or is showing signs of shunt failure or is vomiting all over the living room floor, I still have my moments of struggle.
The difference is, I no longer stay there.
I no longer fall into despair and hopelessness and desperately wishing I could live a different life. I now know how to accept my feelings, let the grief move through me and return so much more quickly to happiness, joy and peace. And I have sifted through the broken pieces of my former life to find more beauty, depth and meaning than I ever could have imagined before my little bear came along.
Even though he is non-verbal, non-mobile, g-tube fed and has more doctors and diagnoses than I can count on two hands…
I am so grateful for him and this journey.
I hold a vision of YOU: strong, empowered you who takes all that life has thrown at you and uses it to weave a life that is stronger, better, and more meaningful than you ever could have imagined before!
And that is PRECISELY why we created Red Balloon!
When you sign up you’ll get immediate access to:
- A community of people who deeply understand what you’re experiencing.
- Live emotional support calls every month.
- A private Facebook group where you can get to know and support each other in between calls.
- Support from me, a trained post-traumatic growth and grief coach, to hold space and help you process whatever comes up.
- Concrete tools that can help you find ease, joy and less overwhelm.
- Bonus resource videos to deepen your understanding of those tools.
- A path through the darkness to a place where you can find hope, joy and gratitude in your journey.
It’s time to find a way through the dark. The world needs us all to shine our light. Come join us!
Next Red Balloon Parent Support Workshop:
Our Live Emotional Support Workshops are now held once a month. All workshops are available to Red Balloon members. Join Red Balloon to participate in the next workshop!
Reclaiming Yourself. December 29, 5pm Pacific Time.
Parenting a child with special needs can sometimes feel all-consuming, but it’s important to reclaim ourselves outside our caretaker roles!
Who were you before you had children? Who are you outside of all the roles that you play (mother, caregiver, wife, employee)? And how can you begin to find moments where you can simply be you? Join our group call to explore this topic.