11 Gifts Special Needs Dads Want But Won’t Ask for This Year
Special needs dads don’t get to write letters to Santa, and let’s face it — dads are hard to shop for. When asked to present a wish list, they often respond with a shrug or a few generic requests. They’re not always honest about what they’d really like.
The Mighty asked special needs dads in our community what they want (but won’t ask for) this holiday season. Here’s what’s on their wish list:
Related: 10 Things I Wish My Parents Knew While Raising a Kid With Special Needs
1. “Peace and kindness between all my kids for an entire weekend.”
2. “For my daughter to be able to tell us where it hurts.”
3. “It’s self-serving, but I’d like a real, authentic vacation.”
4. “For friends to have some realistic understanding of what we go through every day.”
Related: The 3 Words I Want Siblings of Children With Special Needs to Hear
5. “To be able to pay off more of our debt.”
6. “To hear my child say, ‘I love you.‘”
7. “To be able to afford a vacation… for my wife.”
8. “A room all to myself.”
9. “The ability to provide for my family without feeling like I need to make a choice of belonging to my family or belonging to my employer. It’s not fair that my employer and customers get the ‘happy’ me and my family gets the burned out, tired, frustrated and angry me.”
10. “The peace of mind that when my daughter sleeps late, I am confident and at ease knowing she’s… just sleeping late, and I don’t have to go check on her with my heart in my throat until I hear her breathe or see her stir.”
Related: Dear Sibling to a Child With Special Needs, Let Me Tell You Why You’re Amazing
11. “A crystal ball that shows the future and how our lives and the life of our daughter will turn out. You have no idea how bad I want that, to understand what will happen and prepare for it. Of course, even if this was a realistic gift (and of course it’s not) I still wouldn’t ask for it. I’ve learned from my daughter that the best part of this journey is to be surprised and enjoy those exciting times. There may be situations later in life that could be difficult and it would be better to prepare for, but there will also be times that will be amazing. I want to experience that excitement and emotion firsthand with my daughter when she surprises us and exceeds certain expectations. And I know she will!”
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