• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Skip to Main content
  • A
  • A
  • A
  • Login
  • Register

Disabled Parenting Project

An online community by and for parents and prospective parents with disabilities

The Disabled Parenting Project is part of the:

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Mission Statement
    • The Team
    • FAQs
  • Directory
    • Submit a Listing
  • Library
    • Submit a Resource
    • Resources
    • Disabled Parents in the News
    • Podcasts
  • Community
    • Blog
    • DPP Blogger Guidelines
    • Twitter Chats
    • Interviews of Parents with Disabilities
    • How to Videos and Photos
  • Marketplace
    • Product Reviews
    • Adaptive Parenting Products
    • Buy, Sell & Trade
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Blog / Disabled Parenting / The 12 reasons why I (a mom with a disability) need elves!

The 12 reasons why I (a mom with a disability) need elves!

December 23, 2019 by Elizabeth Clark Leave a Comment

Woman smilingI love the Holidays! I can not contain my smile when I think about them. Really any excuse to give gifts (no matter how small), cook yummy food and get together with friends and family. I love the feeling of building excitement, the day when I start getting to give the gifts I have worked so hard to get. On Christmas morning I am the first person awake in my house, nudging my sleepy-eyed family. The look, that passes a person’s face, when the gift is just right is the “holy grail,” to me. In that split second you can see them thinking, “How could she remember? She really knows me and listens.” To me, that feeling of the other person’s joy is the ultimate win.

I started to show significant symptoms of Fredrich’s Ataxia (FA), around the same time, as I became a mother. In other words, I have been adapting my childhood visions of how I would implement traditions as a mother for the past seventeen years. When you are a mother with a disability, even how you will get the presents down from the closet you have been hiding them needs to be planned. In addition, when you have a progressive degenerative disease, every year your abilities are slightly different, and what worked last year no longer works anymore. There are certain parts that makeup Christmas. As I get older and my disease progresses, I am learning to simplify aspects of my holiday prep, while at the same time learning creative ways to continue to do what I love. However, I am starting to understand the need for a lot of “elves” in Santa’s Village. They are the steam behind Santa’s engine, and without them, there would be no magic.

To continue reading, please visit the Accessible Village blog.

Share this:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • LinkedIn
  • Print
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Skype

Filed Under: Disabled Parenting Tagged With: adapting, disabled mom, help, holiday, holidays, pca, progressive disability

Elizabeth Clark

About Elizabeth Clark

I was diagnosed with Friedreich's Ataxia (a progressive Nero muscular disease) at 18, and I am now a wheelchair user. My husband also has a physical disability, (TBI). together we are raising my two sons (16 and 4). My life is very busy just like other families, I happen to have a different lens than most stay at home Moms.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • I Fried an Egg
  • As the ADA Turns 30, It’s Time to Give It Wheels
  • The ADA, Parenthood, and Empowerment
  • Growing up with the ADA
  • Missing my Daughter: Reflections from a Disabled Dad During the Coronavirus

Tags

ableism accessibility ADA adapting adult child advocacy amputee baby babywearing blind blind mom breastfeeding carrie ann lucas children Contest cooking daughter disability disabled child disabled dad disabled mom family friends help holiday holidays home household infant life muscular dystrophy personal care attendant play playground potty training reflections school school age child shopping society son thanks toddler wheelchair working mom

Footer

Additional Links

  • Accessibility
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Medical and Legal Disclaimer

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

© 2021 · Disabled Parenting Project ·

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.