A Summer Parenting Creed for Chronically Ill Moms

Are you ready for the next few months of Summer?

If you are a parent, you are realizing . . . it is that time of year. School is out–or nearly so–and you may be experiencing a feeling of panic. It’s not an unusual feeling for many parents, but for those of us with chronic illness, it can be a big concern.

How will we keep up with their energy? What will we do? How will we make all those fun memories despite our pain level and our limited budget? How can we make sure our kids aren’t lacking what other kids are–like camping trips and hikes, bicycle rides and trips to the amusement park?

It can feel like a marathon. We start trying to build ourselves up for it, training ever since they went back to school after Spring Vacation. We looked through newspapers for local camps, we considered what vacations could be possible, but it’s the day to day activities that can be most challenging.

Plus, we have the added burden of taking care of ourselves, getting to those doctor’s appointments, having tests done, watching our diet, being called back for more tests, being told to stay out of the sun and get our blood pressure down–all while Johnny is trying to pull the tail off the dog and Sally is refusing to go to the camp we just paid $200 for.

Breathe . . .

I know . . It isn’t easy. I am telling myself this as well.

I recently saw a parenting creed online and I thought, “We need one for chronically ill parents!”

So I sat down and tried to think of what my real hopes were for the summer. What was really important? What would bring my child joy? And I came up with this parenting creed.

You can click here to open it up as a PDF file and print it out on 8.5×11 paper. Put it on your fridge or stick a copy in your Bible.

Above all, remember to give yourself–and your children–grace.

Want some additional resources?

To with other chronically ill moms, I invite you to join our Facebook page for moms.

We have lots of resources on Pinterest, including entertainment ideas to keep kids busy when you are ill and parenting tips.

Lisa Copen is the mom of a very busy 11-year old son who enjoys digging holes in the front yard, trying to build a go-kart from scraps by the side of the house, and who has been know to throw 24 cans of soda in the air to see them explode when they land on the street in the few minutes she was in the house.