Marriage and the special needs child

Do you know that some studies have found that divorce rates amongst parents of children with special needs can be as high as 80%? EIGHTY PERCENT???

I thank God every day that instead of battling each other, (most days) Brian and I have found a way to depend on each other. We have managed to make the most of our circumstances and deal with the extra pressure of raising our girls.

It just astonishes me how MUCH PRESSURE it puts. Every couple (especially those with kids) has a lot battling against them in this world. We are bombarded with images of divorce and cheating and other things to break up a marriage. Add the stress of money and a house and kids and schedules and you are LUCKY if you make it through.

If you throw on top of that specialists and surgery and equipment and insurance companies and never finding a free minutes to yourselves. You can't leave you kids with just anyone because they have needs above the "norm". You can't take a vacation because it is too much of a pain to plan something like that.

I can see how easily a marriage can start to unwind. I think I needed to post this to remind myself how darn lucky I am. We fight, like everyone else in the world but we fight fair. We have a huge amount of stress but we manage it (most days). We disagree on treatments and doctors and therapies but we negotiate. We give and we take.

I am lucky.