Well what a week this has been. For those that don’t know it is now the tail end of #Learningdisabilitiesweek. It’s perhaps the first one where I haven’t felt the need to shout every week is awareness week as myself and many other families live with the reality of what’s these tokenistic weeks mean. (Carers week being the prime example of such!)
But this week for me feels like I have been dipping my toe in the learning disabilities nurses version of LD week.
On my own Facebook I have posted snippets for those amongst my friends to relate to or discuss or for some, educate. Snippets around choice. Snippets around independence. Snippets around emotions. Snippets around friendships.
Friendships being the theme of the week. I have made many new “friends” through my twitter and they feel like friends. They are mostly LD nurses and students. Twitter has been a week of celebration and awareness and I’ve been proud to be a part of that. i created videos using sign language and also a video about why i want to be a learning disability nurse and these were shared widely amongst others and from others which all inspire my journey.
What I have begun to think about this week is being at the start of a journey where I need to find a professional balance. My son is my world and I love to talk about him and relate experiences with him to help others but I’m aware of my need for a balance. Others have made assumptions about how he behaves as I post happy smiley pictures and (rightly) speak positively about him and I’ve been defensive in the past - that shows I am allowing emotion to overshadow reaction. People only know what you allow them to see or hear. I will no doubt talk about Mikey to my fellow students (when I start) and on this blog but at the same time I need to make a conscious effort to look at the wider picture and find a balance. Most importantly for his safety and dignity, but also for my development in the wider world.
It’s also the week I handed in my notice (3 months) to my current employer so I can start my learning disability nursing degree in September. That was a very stomach churney experience. Made it very real. But very exciting.
The week ended with a learning disability nurses et al zoom tea party with I think about 60 others! An hour of pure happy with like minded people. I spoke to people whose books I’ve been reading. I listened to many role models for my career going forward. I started with a bobble hat on my head but changed to AC/DC devil horns. I enjoyed banter about a mini roll chocolate cake. It really was an hour of pure happy. I had a lovely time and felt included - I felt I am finally reaching where I need to be.
A lovely week made lovely by lovely people. Thankyou.
And of course none of this would be happening without my son Mikey. My experiences as his mum taken forward to help others. A living legacy. Thankyou Mikey.
Happy learning disabilities week everyone.
#Learningdisabilitiesweek2020 #LDweek20 #keephoLDNonTP #KeephoLDNon
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