Parenting is very hard, and there’s no doubt about it. However, if you have or you’re the caregiver of a child with special needs, the hardship of parenting is brought to a whole new level. Besides, many families with disabled children have other children as well, and it often happens that able-bodied children don’t get nearly as much attention as the other child. Of course, the parents are not to blame for this – it just is what it is, but parents can at least try to make all their children feel loved and appreciated.
Case in point, one mom shared her story on the internet and asked if she would be in the wrong to leave her developmentally challenged daughter at home during a family vacation.
She took it to Reddit’s Am I The A-hole forum to ask:
‘AITA if I don’t take just one of my children on holiday with me?’
There’s more to the story than what it seems, however. The mom explained that her 10-year-old daughter, who had a brain trauma condition from being hurt in the womb, is a special needs child, and she is HARD work.
She wrote that the girl often screams, demands her own way, and steals stuff from other people.
Now, the mom wrote that she has 4 other children, and the family had 3 days away booked in a pod – and everyone is so excited about the road trip. A few days ago, the mom caught her 10-year-old daughter stealing all the candy and marshmallows they had bought for the trip – and she just had an idea of how good would it be for the other kids to have a trip without her. This was just an idea, but the mom started seriously considering it – and she wasn’t sure if and how much of an a-hole would that make her.
Check out the story below, and feel free to share your thoughts on this delicate situation in the comment section.
After people started asking questions, the mom clarified that the daughter would be staying with family member who would spoil her, and yes, she has been getting therapy.
Rather surprisingly, most people voted that the mother would not be the a-hole if she excluded her special needs daughter this one time. After all, she has 5 children, and the other 4 deserve the attention – at least for 3 days.
