Hello, I am a little bit late to the party because I had to sign off after the last CPLD day and I’ve just realised that I never ended up uploading my thoughts on Welcome to Holland.
Coming at this topic from a totally outside perspective, not being a mother at all and not having much teacher-parent contact with the parents of our SEND children, I found this work really eye opening and it made me feel really quite emotional. I think that the metaphor of comparing the countries in place of the different lifestyles is really thought provoking, as it allows insight into both the positives and negatives of being a parent of a SEND child. I like the reiteration that it is not necessarily a negative thing, it is just different and unexpected, and the metaphor allows me to understand the feelings of the parents more, as the Holland/Italy situation, at this moment in time is easier for me to imagine.
This poem has definitely highlighted the importance of providing support for the parents who are going through their unexpected journey, whether it is offering our own advice or pointing them in the direction of other support systems. I understand now how vital it is for the parents to not feel alone in this journey as I have not stopped to consider how it must feel to be comparing your child to everyone else all the time. This poem is definitely something I will be sharing with the girls at work, as I think they will find it as eye-opening as I did.
Thanks Nicky
