FTF: Sick and Tired by Amy Sheridan

Here is September's First Things First article, which was written by Amy Sheridan who is the mom to a son with Asperger's and blogs at Asperger Ninja.

For more information about First Things First click here. There is also a list of the previous First Things First articles under the "Interviews, Guest Posts & FTF" tab at the top -- with the obvious title of "First Things First Articles".

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Sick and Tired, How a Single Mother of a Special Needs Child Deals with Sudden Illness

As parents, we always worry if our children get sick. That’s part of our job. We are

prepared before they are even born, having been told countless stories by our parents, friends who have children and sometimes, complete strangers who are more than happy to spin the tales of their children’s maladies.

But, no one ever truly prepares you for the time when YOU get sick. There is no chapter in the Parents Handbook that tells you how to prevent or be ready for the time that you need to be taken care of. That’s usually not an option. Moms, Dads and caregivers are certainly known for working when they are under the weather, but there may come a time when you have to actually go to the hospital. In most of these incidents, the other parent will take care of the child (or children) while the other parent is ill. But what if you don’t have that choice?

I’m a single mother of my son, Nathan, who has Asperger’s. When I was married, and a trip to the ER was necessary, my husband did the honors and took care of our child while I convalesced. I had been lucky for the past few years, not having any major illnesses that would put me down for the count. This one, however, came quite out of nowhere.
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