When the EIC finally got its own van (donated by a generous couple whose daughter attends the EIC), some of the mothers organized a strike. Not so their kids could get one of the coveted places – no, this strike was to protest having the van at all. “If our kids start coming in the van,” they pointed out, “how will we meet?”

The “EIC Moms” are a force to be reckoned with. They are a tight, closely-knit group, fiercely proud of their children and championing each one’s every small achievement. Knitting in the sun during the winter, chatting quietly in the verandah during the hot weather, they talk with each other about everything, sharing their worries and concerns and supporting each other through the ups and downs of their child’s growth and development. Older, more experienced mothers are quick to take the newer ones under their wing, reassuring and encouraging them as they come to terms with their child’s disability and helping them to find the courage to walk the long road to rehabilitation.

When the babies are very small, mothers attend therapy sessions with their children. They get to know each other well and learn to appreciate their children in new ways in the process. Somehow, seeing what other parents are going through with their kids almost invariably puts one’s own child’s difficulties in a better light. The problem you are used to is always easier! Mothers are often the best source for advice, too. There is nothing to rival talking with someone who really does know what you are going through.

Mothers sometimes trade places: learning to do the physiotherapy for a friend’s baby while she works on speech with yours can help you to see things from a new perspective. The feel of a baby with CP is totally different to one with Downs. A child with autism will not respond the way a child with a hearing handicap will. Finding out what works for another child makes moms more empathetic and creative – it makes them better friends, too.