Being just a parent is not enough

The expectation of a 'normal' life fades when personal and family struggles become unmanageable. Struggles emerge from the demands of fulltime care, managing a disability and living a family life. The truth is that most families do not manage the situation, the situation manages a family.

Coping
Coping: Jack - Parents will do just about anything for their children. By doing whatever can be done, helps parents cope with their confusion, stress, personal struggles and know that they have done everything that is possible.
“The first time I was placed on the dining room table on top of my lamb’s wool, little did I know it was to be the start of a daily routine that was to continue for a large part of my life”… why are they doing this to me?"

Brothers and sisters
Brothers and Sisters: Jessica – “Jessica has a brother with a severe intellectual disability… despite many obstacles, she found ways to blossom. Jessica in the past was always a little apprehensive whenever one of her friends came home with her and was happier visiting her friends at their place.”

Stress
Stress: Sally – “It was a time when it was easier not to do much, stay at home, make the best of things and make it through the day. Taking Sally anywhere was a risk. She may run away, hit other people, scream or have a seizure. It was hard enough to manage Sally at home; it was unbelievably harder whenever we went anywhere.