Sometimes being heard is the only rest we can get!

Sometimes Being Heard Is the Only Kind of Rest We Get

✨ Dedication

For the moms who inspire me every day...
the ones who show up in the messy middle, who keep loving through exhaustion, and who let me walk beside them on their journey.
It’s an honor to witness your strength, your honesty, and your hearts.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

There are seasons in parenting ...especially for families raising children with special needs ...when life simply doesn’t stop.

The world keeps going.
The other kids still need breakfast.
Work still expects you to show up.
Even after a night of no sleep, you still get up and keep going.

I remember that season vividly.
When my son was first diagnosed with Type 1, I was running on empty.
The exhaustion. The fear. The ache of doing it all while knowing there wasn’t anything anyone could do to fix it.
But I had one friend I could call on my way to work.
I’d cry, and she’d just listen.
She didn’t try to make it better.
She just stayed with me while it was hard.

And that was everything.

Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do for each other isn’t advice or solutions, it’s presence.

💭 Full Circle

Last week, I sat in a JDRF meeting with a newly diagnosed family.
They asked a question that brought me right back to those early days:

“What do you even do when you’re in it?”

And the words came out before I even thought about them:

“There’s nothing to do to fix it... you just get through it. You find your support system.”

Because that’s the truth no one tells you.
You can’t control it.
You just breathe, reach out, and let yourself be held.

Now, I find myself on the other side, sitting beside families who are right where I once was.
And this time, I’m the one who gets to listen, not with answers, but with empathy.

Even this morning, one of my families told me their child was sick again.
She had to go to work anyway, tired, scared, and doing her best.
And in that moment, I remembered that feeling so vividly: the heaviness of showing up when you’re already empty.

It’s full circle for me... from the mom who needed someone to see her,
to the coach who gets to be that person for someone else.

💛 For the Parents Who Are Just Surviving

I know for so many families, and I’ve been there too ...all the posts about connection and parenting can feel like they don’t fit when you’re in pure survival mode.

You read them and think, That’s beautiful… but I’m just trying to make it through the day.

And that’s okay.
Right now, you are.

Give yourself grace to get through this moment.
Know that you are not alone — even when it feels like you’re the only one still awake.

Connection doesn’t start with perfection or patience or calm.
It starts with honesty, being real about where you are and loving yourself through it.

ðŸŒŋ Why This Matters

Because parenting a child with special needs often feels isolating... like everyone else’s life keeps moving while yours stands still. And sometimes, it feels like everyone else knows the secret, the one about how to keep it all together...except you.

And yet, you keep showing up. You keep loving. You keep learning.

That matters.

When we give ourselves permission to stop striving for perfect and start honoring what’s real, we make space for healing...for ourselves and our kids.
That’s where growth begins: in the honest middle, where love, resilience, and grace live together.

ðŸ’Ŧ When You’re Ready

When the dust settles , even just a little, and you are ready,  here are a few small steps you can take:

  • Find one person you can call when you’re having a hard day. Not for advice, but for presence.

  • Build a tiny rhythm in your day that fills your cup — a quiet coffee, a walk, a deep breath before you respond.

  • Notice one small win at the end of each day — a smile, a calm moment, a connection you didn’t think you had the energy for.

  • Give yourself credit for showing up, even when it’s messy.

It doesn’t have to be big.
You don’t have to be ready for everything ...just ready for one small, gentle step.

✨ That’s where change begins.

✨ What I Hope You Remember

If you’re in that season...the one that doesn’t stop, the one that feels impossible, please hear me:
You’re doing it.

Even when no one sees you, even when it feels like too much, even when you cry in the car on your way to work.You can’t fix it.

You just keep breathing.
You find your people, the ones who don’t need to understand to care.

You keep showing up, even when it’s messy.
Because it’s not about being perfect.
It’s about showing up in the messy middle!!!!
and letting that be enough.

You don’t need to have it all together.
You just need people who can hold space with you.

✨ Sometimes being heard is the only kind of rest we get.

ðŸŠķ Reflection for You

  • Who can you call when you need to cry on your way to work?

  • How can you be that safe space for someone else this week?

  • What if “enough” today simply means showing up, just as you are?

With warmth,
Kirsten Nichter, MSEd
Certified Jai Parent Coach & Certified Positive Discipline Educator


If you need support on your parenting journey, reach out for a free connection call ðŸ’—

https://www.connectionsparentcoaching.com/


                      For more tips on parenting follow me on instagram @connectionsparentcoaching

                                                             

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