I am a therapy mom.
Therapy is a good thing and a gift we can give our kids who need it. Many “outside the box” kids require extra services. My middle child (age 8) has been in therapy since the age of 2. He has a diagnosis of dyspraxia. Dyspraxia is a brain-based condition that affects one’s ability to coordinate and plan motor tasks. (That will be a post for another time). He actually received three different therapies each week between the ages of 2-3. That meant three separate days therapists came to our house. Our playdate availability pretty much went out the window that year.
I was trying to calculate how many hours we’ve spent at therapy and it must be greater than 500. 500–that’s insane! And that doesn’t include the early intervention therapy our youngest son (now 4 y/o) received in our home for a year, which he no longer needs. Our 8 y/o is still in occupational therapy and we were beyond blessed to find an AMAZING therapist in our area when we moved here two years ago.
Due to insurance reasons, we’ve had to stop therapy for the last month and wait to see if they will approve more sessions. During this time of waiting, I have really enjoyed not having to go to therapy each week. It’s summer and it’s nice AMAZING to have more freedom in the schedule. However, I feel a little guilty….. I mean therapy really helps him and it helps me keep a pulse on where he’s at. It is still necessary for him as much as I enjoy not having to go.
The reality is – therapy definitely puts a kink in your schedule. It pretty much takes up a half day of our week (thankfully we’ve evolved into relaxed homeschoolers, so we roll with it) and often conflicts with field trips or other fun opportunities. Therapy can be a real pain in the rear end – schedule-wise. It’s not as though you go to one or two sessions and then “BAM!” you have a new kid. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
However, therapy truly is a blessing I see it as an investment. What we are doing now will help my son for the rest of his life. And as parents, WE are the advocates for our children. If we don’t fight for them, who will?! When I think of it that way, it helps me to stay the course and not give up.
