Focusing on Your Child's Hearing Loss in Your (Already) Busy Life

Discovering that your child is hearing impaired usually comes when you are the least ready for it. You already have your hands full juggling a career, other kids, your spouse, and housekeeping. You can't imagine having another responsibility to deal with.

If you work outside the home you may begin to wonder, "Will I have to quit my job?" If you have other young children who caring for them takes up a lot of your time, you may wonder how you will be able to give your child the time and energy that is already in such short supply.

There is no easy answer to these issues. One thing is certain, just the fact that you are confronting these issues show that you are headed in the right direction. Realizing that your life must be focused on caring for your child's hearing impairment, is the first, and perhaps the most crucial step on the road to your child's ultimate success.

Caring for your hearing impaired child does not mean you won't have a life. Although it is very difficult, and not many can do so, there are those who have successfully raised their hearing impaired children even while keeping their full-time jobs. Lots of successful hearing impaired children were raised in families with other little children. If you have the determination and the strength, you can do it all.

What is required, however, is a complete change of focus. You must always keep your hearing impaired child's needs on the top of your priorities. All your other obligations must be secondary in importance.

Placing your child's needs above all is perhaps the toughest challenge. Once it is firmly established, everything else will fall in place.

These are the 5 steps you must take to make this change of focus happen:

1. Realize That Your Child's Success is Solely Dependent on You.

2. Your Child's Care is Your Number One Priority.

3. Enlist Help and Encouragement From Spouse and Other Family Members.

4. Educate Yourself on How You Can Work With Your Child.

5. Network With Other Parents of Hearing Impaired Children.

Achieving this focus is very difficult, and it will take some time. Usually this will require a dramatic change of lifestyle. Your family may also have to help out so that everything can work out.

Ultimately, the hard work and sacrifices you and others make today will pay off. You will see the fruits of your labor with your child's ultimate success. And by giving of yourself to your child, you will be making yourself a better person in the process.