Reese is a young girl with cerebral palsy. Her primary means of mobility is a manual wheelchair, though she is also able to take a few independent steps. Reese’s parents have recently separated and are in the process of divorcing. Reese, her mom, and two older siblings have temporarily relocated and are now living in the upstairs of her grandparents’ house. As a result of the move, Reese has transitioned to a new school. Although her mom is generally very involved with her child’s education, there are currently many stressors in her life. Describe at least two of the stressors, besides divorce, that Reese’s mom might be experiencing and explain how you think they might affect her time and involvement with the school.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

I’m sure the mother is experiencing a large amount of stress, fear, and guilt. The mother has had to go through a divorce, probably by herself, she’s had to move out of the house, she’s had to make the decision to move into her parent’s house (which is incredibly difficult to do ESPECIALLY with kids), she has three kids and is now supposed to be the sole provider for the family. I completely understand the mothers incredible stress. With all of this to deal with that affect her mentally, emotionally, and physically and is somewhat doing it all by herself, the last things she thinking about is volunteering her time at the school and putting in a whole lot of extra time with her kids’ education. I think that Reese’s mom is also dealing with fear and guilt. I’m sure she feels bad and guilty for putting her children through this very difficult experience and is fearful for what they will experience. I’m sure that Reese’s mom is very fearful that they won’t have enough money to take care of themselves and the whole insurance situation (especially because Reese has cerebral palsy and needs PT and consistent doctor visits), and that she will have to get a job soon (if she doesn’t already).