Support Group

Last night I went to a support group for parents of kids with cerebral palsy. It was the first time I've ever been to any kind of support group meeting. I wasn't exactly looking forward to going, but I was hopeful it would be useful.

And it did turn out to be interesting. Everyone has their own stories, and there are similarities with what we've gone through and some differences. Some of them had kids who were a little older and could tell us about things to expect. Some of them had younger kids and had even more questions than we did. Everyone had that moment where they didn't know what to expect and all they could see in front of them was not knowing.

Wifey and I have lots of great friends and family. Everyone has been very supportive and said all the right things, but it was different talking with people who had actually gone through a lot of what we had. I mean, we had nothing in common with these people except for this, but it was a connection. They got it and they knew what we'd been through.

Things I learned. Seizures are very very common with CP kids. There is an absolutely HUGE difference between mild and severe CP. A lot of times CP is known right at birth. Be it doctors, insurance, social services, school districts, be prepared to advocate your child's needs with everyone. School districts don't have lots of money and will often try to get by doing as little for you as they can.