Today I got off the phone discussing two of my children’s needs and I cried. Honestly I cry almost every time there is an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meeting or a discussion about services.
Today it was tears of exhaustion. I am tired of fighting. I am tired of repeating the same research over and over again. I am tired of saying if we don’t intervene now the problem will just get worse.
Why is our system running on a wait to fail model?
Hasn’t this model proven that the school to prison pipeline is real?
What happens to the children whose parents aren’t aware of their rights?
What happens to the children whose parents are exhausted from the fight and they surrender to the system?
Gosh some days I want to surrender. I want to just say “ok I will just take on more clients to pay for private tutors who will provide evidence based interventions”. And then the justice side of me screams “I already paid for them in tax dollars and now the schools are refusing to provide them. “
When I fight for my children know I am fighting for every child out there who needs services that they are being denied.
If you are a mom attending IEP meetings and advocating for you children keep up the good fight! You will cry and you will feel exhausted but you are not alone.
And to everyone else…parents who are navigating this world are tired and they often feel alone. They are told they don’t know whats best and are victims to a system that systematically places them in a survival position. Advocating for your child is hard and heartbreaking so we need friends and family who stand with us.
