A Special Child in the Family

One day an angel asked God: "Who will be the patron saint for mothers of handicapped children?" God answered: "Show them a mirror" (E. Bombeck). So begins the preface to the Italian edition of A Special Child in the Family. Diana Kimpton, who has lived through this herself, offers a clear and detailed account of how parents might best face the many challenges that arise when raising a disabled child. You will notice a deliberate emphasis on certain themes—but only because each situation is examined in careful detail. Clear thinking is not always possible when decisions press hard and emotions run too strong for detachment. The text grows from daily experience alongside disability: birth, growth, relationships with relatives and doctors and social systems, death, God. It holds, in short, all the conflicting emotions—rejection and love both—that parents almost always feel. Being able to recognize yourself in these pages helps banish fear and builds courage.