People have started asking me what I want for Christmas, and gosh, I don't know. Could somebody give me an extra few months before I have to worry about this stuff? Could you wrap that up for me, please? A few extra hours in the day would be fine, too. Surely somebody makes a gift card for that.
If you've become so unaccustomed to thinking about yourself -- an occupational hazard for special-needs parents, for sure -- that you can't come up with a list when people ask, here's two suggestions. One, ask for a special-needs parenting book. There are tons of them, many of them are enjoyable to read as well as useful, and you can feel like you're doing research for your kids even as you're receiving something for yourself. To do a little looking around for a title to request, check the index of books I've reviewed here, sorted by title or topic. For more options, check the newly expanded publisher's index, find a book that looks interesting, and click on the link to the publisher's site to see what else they have to offer. (I particularly recommend Brookes, Jessica Kingsley, and Woodbine as publishers with big special-needs selections.)
Two, print out my Special-Needs Parent's Wish List and hand it out to anyone who asks what you'd like for your holiday gift. Maybe someone will take you seriously and offer to babysit or house clean. Or maybe they'll give you a really nice gift certificate out of guilt. Hey, it's worth wishing for.
What do you really want for Christmas? Add to my list.
Image by Terri Mauro
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