Meghan King opened up about some of the challenges of parenting a child with cerebral palsy in a recent, raw Instagram post.
“I don’t like being defined as a mother of a child with cerebral palsy,” she wrote in the post, sharing a photo of herself in the car with her son, Hart, in a car seat behind her.
“In fact, I actively work against it. I seldom share with you the challenges Hart faces and instead focus on how great he’s doing while trying to give equal focus to my other two children and myself," she continued. "But the reality is that Hart’s brain injury affects all of our lives daily."
Hart, 3, was diagnosed with hypotonic cerebral palsy in 2020. Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that can affect a person’s ability to move their muscles. It can be caused by a brain injury or abnormal brain development, according to the CDC.
In her recent post, King, 37, opened up about how Hart’s condition affects her daily life.
“Although CP is defined as a motor disability, its symptoms rear their heads in a plethora of other ways. Today is the second day in a row that Hart has had to leave school for poor behavior,” she wrote. “This not only renders me unable to work during that short school window but it leaves me feeling frustrated and helpless for both of us.”
King also shared some of the uncertainties and stressful questions she asks herself.
“Is his environment too inconsistent? Is he not getting enough attention? How do I balance his needs with the other needs in the household?” she wrote. “Is there such a thing as balance? Is there a solution? Is happiness achievable or are we bound to a lifetime of rollercoaster behaviors, merry-go-round therapies, and erratic emotions that eat into everyone’s time and energy?”
“The unknown is daunting,” she continued. “How do I keep him integrated in normal schooling when he acts violently or disruptive? How? Thank you for attending my depressing TED talk.”
The “Real Housewives of Orange County” alum shares three children with her ex-husband, former MLB pro Jim Edmonds: Hart, his twin brother, Hayes, and a 5-year-old daughter, Aspen.
King and Edmonds split in 2019. She tied the knot with attorney Cuffe Owens, a nephew of President Biden, late last year, and they announced their separation after two months of marriage.
After King shared her recent, candid post, fans flooded the comments with messages of support.
“It’s a completely different world for us mamas who have kiddos with special and different needs than others, and for our children too,” one person wrote. “It can feel very isolating at times. It’s so hard to balance it all, but please know that you are everything he needs in a mother and you are doing everything you can for him. You are not alone, I see you, mama.”
“I wish there was an easy answer to this,” another person commented. “I know from seeing your posts that he is very fortunate to have a mother who cares as much as you do. You are doing so much for him and he will struggle but he will also blossom.”