by Whitney Barthel posted in Parenting

Sometimes I feel like my writing on special needs topics can be incredibly heavy. In many of my posts, I tackle the tough stuff that all special-needs parents face. But I feel like it?s important to paint the whole picture. While there are certainly many challenges to raising a child with special needs, there are so many good things about having a special-needs child.

Having Daniel, my 6-year-old with Down syndrome, has completely changed the way I see the world ? in a good way. In an effort to keep things short and sweet, here are just 5 of the ways I feel Down syndrome has positively impacted my life.

1. You find out the true nature of people right away. I never expected this, but seeing how people interact with a special-needs child will tell you more about them than you can ever learn from sheer conversation. 2. You learn patience. Obviously things take longer for Daniel to learn, but let me tell you there is no sweeter victory than when Daniel reaches a hard-earned milestone.
3. You learn to measure success differently. Success to a special-needs parent usually takes on a different meaning. You no longer view success for your children as good grades or physical accomplishment. And while those things are certainly still important, special-needs parents see things like compassion and generosity as keys to a fulfilled life.
4. You learn to keep your ego in check. We all want to look like we have our sh*t together. I see kids w...