Anxiety in PARENTS of DHH kids

When I was three years old, I walked into my parents' room one morning and said "Mommy I can't hear." Now as a mother of two, I can only imagine the panic and concern my mom felt. No matter the headaches, the buttons they push or the intensity of a crying duet, my littles are truly my most favorite people in this entire universe. ⁣

My parents launched themselves into fix-it mode. I saw audiologists and ENTs in Cleveland, Chicago and New York. I underwent exploratory surgery. I received acupuncture. I had weekly speech therapy sessions. My brother often went to friends houses because they were always busy taking me to hospitals and doctors. The worst was a Chinese catfish soup that I had to drink every night. I remember one time sitting next to my friend Stacey (who also had hearing loss), holding my nose and crying while gulping it down in hopes of making the moment (and taste) go by faster. ⁣

Funny story: When my hearing dropped again in first grade, my teacher Mrs. Johnson remembers my mom coming in and sitting next to me like a tutor or student helper. After day 3 she sent my mom home, "Michelle is going to do just fine, she is so smart!" ⁣

Now before you say "Oh you poor thing! That's so embarrassing/difficult!" Guess what, while all of these memories may seem terrible to you - it really wasn't. It really is so much harder on our parents than it is/was on us. "It's harder to acquire a hearing loss than it is to grow up with one," I often tell parents. Because as young children we don't know better, we don't truly know what we're missing - so life is still pretty damn good when we get to play with friends, have no worries and everything we need or may want is provided for us.⁣

I recently have been worried about separation anxiety with my toddler. She would cry or whine whenever our sitter would arrive because she associated it not knowing how long I'd be gone. The best piece of advice I received was to address MY anxiety around the separation. Once I looked at this I was able to come up with dialogue and tools to facilitate transitions for the both of us and boom!

She now gives me a hug, kiss, double high fives and off she goes "Bye Bye Mama!" ⁣

If you've got a child with hearing loss - look at your own fears, your own worries. Fill your own tank and make sure you have a list of items you get to do for self-care. Children are resilient, powerful and magical little beings - they will be okay! Just saying, I'm living proof of that ;)

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