Letting Go

 

As your child with CP is becoming a teenager, there are a couple of things you may want to think about. 

  1. The first part is the exciting piece that your child is growing up and becoming his own person.

  2. The second thing is that, is the scary part. Letting go is not always easy.

  3. And the third part is the confusing part where your child may need your help on one hand, on the other hand, he or she is going out and wants to hang out with his friends.

The one thing you will learn if your child does not, is when becoming a teen that his or her world will change. The world becomes bigger, right? The other places are more important: being with friends, being at school, hanging out in a mall, for example. The child will grow up and experience new things, and you may want to see, or you may see an attitude you have not had expected from your own child.

I can see that it's very hard for parents to let go of a child with cerebral palsy. It's not easy when you have taken care of your child for so long. It's hard for any parent, but for parents with children with cerebral palsy, even harder. I always welcome parents to be part of that process and explain it that we gradually, over time, will ask the parents to let go, and there will be more emphasis and role for the young person to take charge of his own health. 

Parents will always be part of that process and will always be the safety net for their child.

"Parents will always be part of that process and will always be the safety net for their child."