What It’s Like Raising a Kid With Special Needs: ‘When Your Kid Needs You, You Step Up’

You’ll be amazed by what you are capable of when you become a parent. Never in a million years did Madeline Crawford think she had what it took to raise a child that had special needs and required medical attention. Yet, she’s become a master mom at it.

Her daughter, Nataleah, has intestinal dysmotility, which is a condition in which muscles of the digestive system become impaired and changes in speed, strength or coordination in the digestive organs occur. As a result, the little girl endures a lot of pain and nausea, and uses a feeding tube to help her tolerate food.

Crawford took to Instagram to share her and her daughter’s story, and why she wouldn’t trade it for the word.

“I often get asked if I would have adopted Nat if I had known what our life would be like…The truth is I don’t know,” she admits. “I process everything and often scare myself out of things that I don’t think I’ll succeed at. Three and a half years ago, if you had told me that this would be what life was like, I would’ve probably said ‘oh, I could never do that!’”

The thing about parenting is, you’ll surprise yourself a lot along the way. There’s no denying that raising a kid who has a medical issue or disability will come with lots of ups and downs, but these bumps along the way will make you all the better at parenting.

“Because when your kid needs you, you step up.”

“The truth is, Nat is so much more than her medical stuff,” the mom explains. “She brings so much joy and love to my life…Times are stressful, missing tons of work, putting plans and desires on hold because of the instability of life is hard. But she’s so worth it.”

Moral of the story—the love you have for your child will get you through anything that’s thrown your way.

“I could’ve missed this,” Crawford says. “And , man, what a tragedy that would’ve been.”

If you’re a parent of a kid with special needs, it helps to hear from and connect with others in similar situations. Learn about another mom’s inspiring journey to becoming a special needs parent, and how it’s changed her for good.