From the article: The Impact of Chronic Arthritis on Family
Your parenting skills and your ability to parent may have been tested if you live with arthritis pain. Physical limitations can interfere with your energy level and ability to share certain activities with your kids, for example. Not only that -- your patience, ability to discipline, and ability to cope with issues such as sibling conflict may be shortchanged.
Can you relate? Have you had this experience? Share your story and explain how arthritis has impacted your parenting.
Share Your StoryStill learning to be patient..
- Because of AS, I am tired most of the time and have no idea how what the next day will bring, more stiffness or a more or less normal day. Being a parent of a 3 year old requires lots of patience, which I wish I had more of, on my bad days :(... I so want to have another kid but I am not sure I can handle the challenges that will come with it..
- —Guest Ayeshah
Half Glass Full of Happiness
- I was sad when I was diagnosed with OA after birth of my 2nd child at age 34. Now, he is 8 yrs.& my daughter is 14 yrs.At first my feelings were negative as to why God has given me this disease, when my kids needs me most. However,I gathered information about disease & slowly I learned that even if there is no cure we should try to learn HOW TO LIVE WITH THE DISEASE.My weight was 72 Kgs when my son was born.However,I reduced it to 64 Kgs.After that almost all the pain has disappeared. I maintain healthy eating habits with lot of fruits, vegs, only fish & chicken once a week.I do stationery cycling daily and Yoga whenever I could get time from my busy schedule as I am out of home 12 hrs. But whatever time I get with my kids makes me vey happy and keep myself busy. If I am tired,I take leave from office & rest: take leave every 6 months.Now Live the day as it comes & leave rest to GOD.No one is 100% healthy.Half glass FULL OF HAPPINESS which God has given is important to me.
- —Guest Savita
Mother of 14 year old
- In the past 3 years this disease has affected me greatly in regards to my abilty to physically interact with my daughter.I was an active older mother when she was born. Now I find everything is a struggle and push myself to do the simplest of things. A lot less joy and so much guilt for being the perfect mother I thought I would be. I only wanted 1 child so this child would have my undivided attention. I wanted her to have everything I did not and now I am on Medicare which makes me feel like a second class citizen. She will not have the best of everything which I vowed to do. She will have the minimal of everything. Life sure does throw curves around every corner. I thought I would always have it all! What a twist of fate that turned out to be. Instead I am envious of those who can work and function like a real person. I sleep more, I am short tempered and not the person I used to be. But she seems to understand, great kid! But short changed. Dolores
- —blue3710
Another parent w/ RA, OA, fibro
- When I was first diagnosed with RA, having already raised 2 children I knew what I expected of them and myself so the hard part was to stop making promises because so many could not be kept. My husband stepped in, but it broke my heart spending so much down time. Our son is turning out more compassionate than the other 2. Kat
- —katchas111
Parent and Grandparent
- Between Fibro, OA, RA, among many painful ailments -- has made it hard to drive to and interact with my kids. I want to do so much more with them but the pain stops me. Right now I'm resting after getting a cortisone shot in my knee today and trying to get rid of a blazing headache.
- —Telsa
