Lately we have been watching this show called Parenthood, it’s on Netflix. I don’t condone everything in this show, but what I enjoy about it is that there are a set of parents on the show who have a kid with Aspergers Syndrome, which is a form of Autism. The writers of this show must have a child with special needs, because they are dead on about what it is like to parent a child with special needs. They deal with how special needs affects not only the child but the whole family including the siblings and extended family. There are so many parents out there who have a child with some sort of special needs, 1 in 5 children have a special need. It is such a relevant topic and I applaud this show for tackling it in such a real way. It’s nice to watch this show, and as a parent of children with special needs, know you are not alone in your feelings.

On a recent show, the Dad was expressing how angry he is all the time and it stems from his son’s diagnosis. That is something you don’t expect, the anger you feel about the situation you are placed in or in our case, chose to be in, with having a child who has special needs. You don’t expect to have feelings of anger and resentment towards other people for their “normal” children and feelings of wondering why God chose your family for this special child. Those are the dark feelings no one wants to talk about, but this show tackles them and I find it really helpful. It also deals with the parents wondering when they should tell their 10-year-old son that he has Autism. That is something that I don’t have to deal with yet, but I have thought about it and don’t really know the answer. I cannot imagine having to tell my son and daughter “you are different”. Especially since most children with special needs don’t recognize that they are different because they struggle with social awareness.

If you have a child with special needs, or you know someone who does, I would highly recommend watching this show to get an idea of what it’s like or to know you are not alone. My husband and I laugh and cry with these parents on this show, because they are so much like us and it’s nice to know someone gets it, even if they are just a TV family.