Photo by David H. Wells/Corbis via Getty Images
The mom of a 6-year-old, who’s ‘not yet walking, talking, or even eating,’ has no patience for people ‘who want to complain about their problems.’ Our advice columnist weighs in.
Dear Abigail,
I have a 6-year-old son who has a genetic syndrome and is disabled. He is not yet walking, talking, or even eating. Other kids his age with the same syndrome are doing all these things, though they may be a bit behind their peers cognitively. We are traveling to the ends of the U.S., and possibly one day the world, to find someone who can help him in any way. I have three other children and a truly amazing husband. We do not have family nearby, so we handle this on our own.
What I need help with is my mindset. I worry I’m becoming a bitter and un-empathetic person. I can handle carrying this weight, and day-to-day it is usually fine, but there are seasons that are harder than others. In those seasons—when the weight feels almost unbearable, but I keep fighting for my son—I have less patience for anyone outside my husband and children who want to complain about their problems.
Continue reading the entire piece here at The Free Press (Paywall)
______________________
Abigail Shrier is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and the New York Times bestselling author of Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren’t Growing Up.