As parents, we are sometimes required to be “label fighters” for our children. From the first day of school labels are placed on them, things like: know-it-all, trouble maker, class clown, and loner, to name a few. I can’t imagine what goes through their minds after overhearing one of these terms being used to describe them. We as parents feel we need to protect them from the confusion caused by these often insulting names. Often times, the need to defend them from moments like these also happens outside of a school setting. [quote]Doctors, specialist, and therapists are labeling our children as well. These labels, however come from a different place; they are made so that our children can receive the specialized help they need.[/quote] The effects on our children’s self esteem caused by these labels can be damaging all the same if we aren’t careful. We can’t always protect them on the school playground and in the classroom. We do, however ,have the power to protect them from allowing labels and diagnoses to become their identity.
When our son was three we went through an intense six months of testing and evaluations to help us make sense of some of the struggles he was having. We were finally told that our son had Sensory Processing Disorder, an anxiety disorder, and a laundry list of food allergies. Everything that they were relaying to us was finally helping make sense of the struggles he was going through. Having any diagnoses given to your child can be heart wrenching. What do you say to your child? Do you say anything? I feel that with a child, what you tell them is situational. We chose to explain to our son what was going on in his body and brain and not use the label of “Sensory Processing Disorder” while doing so. It was incredibly empowering for our son to know that he had control over the responses. We let him know that we were going to be meeting with therapist each week that would play with him and in turn teach him coping skills that he could use.
Thanks to his incredible therapist and some determination from everyone involved, our son is becoming a different kid. He is no longer skittish and fearful, but self confidant. Don’t ever let a label, medical or social, define your child. Our son isn’t his diagnoses, he has them. We as parents have to prevent labels from becoming our children’s identity and hindering them from believing their true self worth.
