“You helped clarify the issues, resources, and options, and provided a foundation for my husband and me to communicate more clearly with common goals and a shared understanding of issues and concerns.”– Kelly Stahlman, Parent
When a child is born with, diagnosed with, or acquires a disability, life is irrevocably changed for that child’s entire family. Your vision — your hopes and dreams — is altered and uncertain. Families may become so exhausted and frustrated by fighting for the funding, services and supports their child needs today, they are too debilitated to make time for enjoyment as a family.
Creating a Family Identity Statement is a vital part of developing a successful strategy for managing your family’s new reality. A Family Identity Statement:
Accounts for the perspectives of the entire family
Lays out your family's purpose, values and principles
Serves as a guiding statement for all decisions affecting the family
Provides a direct message for those who may follow of your family's unique values and principles
Most importantly, it informs others of your child and adult child's expectations of how they prefer to be supported; with dignity, patience, compassion and respect
Your Family Identity Statement provides foundational concepts that help clarify current and future decisions, whether by you, your family members or by those who will succeed you. You are raising your children to know right from wrong and to value certain beliefs. Your Family Identity Statement helps others know who your children are - what they learned as part of your family.
Creating your Family Identity Statement brings a family together to describe your shared purpose which strengthens bonds and results in guidance for the family as a whole and for your individual members to look to for daily and major life decisions.
Your Family Identity Statement is your family's unique identity - as a family. It helps you remember to make time to enjoy yourselves - as a family. It is the heart and soul of your planning.
