What happens when you are not around?

We have all had this thought.  What happens to our kids when we can't be around.  I don't mean temporarily unavailable, I mean dead, hospital bound, incapacitated.

Yesterday I fell outside of my house, a very unexpected extremely painful fall.  Luckily I did not break anything, but I did seriously sprain both my ankles. While I was waiting for someone to help me, I thought about how many activities and plains may need to be altered because I would not be able to get around. I thought about how my life is interwoven with so many other peoples lives and how my injuries would alter that.  It became very clear how important my care giving is to my children.  I have support from my parents and my husband occasionally, but for the most part, I'm it. This is not unlike many mothers.  Mother's are the traditional cargivers of children.  When your child has a special need that caregiver role mutates into case manager, care coordinator or some derivation of that role. As typical children grown older the parents role decreases, leaving many  parents as outsiders to their children's/adolescents lives. In many ways, that will not be my experience.
Its weird.  As I try to evolve into a better parent, I am gaining a better understanding of the role I play in my children's lives versus the story I tell about the role I play.  The perception versus the reality.  Yes sometimes, I do want you to identify with me, and sometimes I want your pity, and sometimes I want you to stare, and sometimes I want you to leave me alone.  I can admit that I get bitter about this whole experience, at times.  It is a balance.
So wht

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