The runaway wheelchair and the havoc of the hoist!

New episode of Let’s Take Care – The Podcast for Parent Carers - is out now. Listen below on wherever you get your podcasts.

Things go wrong daily in busy family life and families raising children and young people with disabilities are certainly not exempt from the mayhem.

Parenting is challenging, colourful, exhausting, joyful and unpredictable all at once and disability doesn’t remove any of that - if anything, it sometimes amplifies it in unexpected (and occasionally hilarious) ways.

We’ve lived through wheelchairs that seemed to develop a mind of their own and ‘take off’ unexpectedly; ceiling hoists that decided to break down mid-transfer; and even the unforgettable moment when a food pump malfunctioned and sprayed puréed avocado over an unsuspecting crowd at a public event. Yes!! These things really did happen!

In this episode of Let’s Take Care, Jane and Melissa reflect on life with their amazing daughters and the mishaps that, with hindsight, have become stories they can laugh about. Because sometimes laughter isn’t just fun: it’s survival.

When someone stares too long, makes a patronising comment, slips your child a fiver out of awkward sympathy, or offers a well-meaning but misplaced “bless”, humour can help defuse the tension and reclaim the moment.

The two mums also share the lighter side of their own parenting slip-ups like tackling the dreaded school morning rush only to arrive without a school bag……or without shoes on their child entirely. Those perfectly imperfect moments remind us that no one gets parenting right all the time.

Being a full-time carer carries immense pressure. Looking back at difficult or chaotic moments with humour has helped both of these mums cope with challenges, build resilience and sometimes even break down barriers with others who may not fully understand disability life.

This episode is full of warmth, honesty and plenty of laughs and will appeal whether you’re a parent carer yourself or simply curious about the realities behind the label. And who knows? There may well be a part two, because the funny stories just keep coming.

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE RIGHT HERE!! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2518012/episodes/18563784

Write to us with your funny stories at: letstakecare.org.uk