Q: A to Z of Family Rights and Family Lives
How did we get to the letter Q? Have you missed A to P? Then take a look, we’re sure you will all relate to many of the aspects we have covered.
When we asked about the letter Q, we did think it may be a difficult letter for people to come up with ideas. However, as one parent said, we underestimated the collective power of parents! So a big thanks to everyone who contributed. If you would like to contribute to the letters R to Z, either contact us via the site or join our Facebook group and get involved that way.
So what does the letter Q stand for in the A to Z of Family Rights and Family Lives?
Questions. Some of us have too many of our questions that go unanswered. Whether it is that we don’t have a diagnosis for our child despite numerous appointments and assessments; or that we are struggling to find justice and fight back at the establishment which has its own powers that be.
Quest. We are on a mission to get something done and fired up to find the missing link to make a difference to our young person’s life. Nothing will stop us on and we will allow no one to get in our way.
Quit. This is something that we will never do. We are here for the duration and although at times we feel it is nearly impossible to move forward and that things can’t get much worse we then turn around the corner and there is a glimmer of light and hope. We move forward again on our journey, sometimes a little bruised and worn down but having learned from the experience we continue onwards and upwards and become stronger each time.
Quality. We are the Directors of Quality and Control. We have high standards and little patience for those that don’t raise the bar. Whether it is the school that we don’t feel is good enough, or the class teacher, or the agency staff that are taking our child out, or the GP receptionist who really does not get it, or the overnight short break service. Nothing will be quite good enough for us and no one will do it just the way we do.
Qualifications. Few of us have studied disability, got a degree in physiotherapy, psychology, speech and language therapy or have done a thesis on the rights to a good education. Even though we may be sitting opposite a medical professional with lots of letters after his name it’s us who are most qualified person and the expert in our own children.
Quotes. Don’t hide behind the jargon and the long words. Don’t try and impress or stun us with science and technical terms. Keep the language child and family friendly and then we are more on equal terms.
Quantify. We want to know how much, how many, and how long. We want to know what it is we are getting and then we can plan accordingly. It is hard to work with the unknown.
Queen of the House. The mums of the house rule ok! We go from being the housewife and the toilet cleaner to the homework helper, the organiser, route planner, holiday co-ordinator, taxi service, human resources person to the one who lays down the law and order. Of course, this also applies to some Dads out there too so we apologise that we didn’t cover King of the House in the letter K!
