151: Fostering Friendships with Other Disability Parents w/ Kate Livingstone and Kari Harbath

We all need friends... but not just any friends. We need friends who just get it and don’t need us to explain every little aspect of our life to understand. In short, we need friends who are also parents to disabled and medically complex children. But how do we find and make those friends?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀In Ep 151 of The Rare Life, I sit down with Kari Harbath and Kate Livingstone to discuss how to create REAL, connective friendships with other parents of disabled kids. We chat about how to go about creating these fulfilling friendships, how to take your current friendships to the next level, AND how to figure out if they are someone you *should* pursue friendship with. Plus, we talk about how sometimes you can make these friendships on the internet and how some of your best friends can be people you’ve never even met IRL.Is there a place for friendships with people who *don’t* have disabled kids too? Absolutely. But there’s also a need for friendships with people who truly get your life, and that’s often the other parents who are living this medical life with us. Also, huge thank you to our sponsor Functional Formularies! They make incredible, nutritious food for our tube-fed kids that’s easy to access and use. Honestly, if our kids are eating Functional Formularies formula, they’re probably eating better than us!   Links: Visit the Functional Formularies website and get assistance in working with your insurance company to provide their top-tier nutrition to your tube-fed child! Listen to Kari’s previous episodes on The Rare Life: Ep 123 on using the term “special needs,” Ep 10 on Sloan’s story, and Ep 11 on embracing your medical tribe. Follow Kari on Instagram @kariharbath! Follow Kate on Instagram @klovestone! Follow us on Instagram @the_rare_life! Donate to the podcast or Contact me about sponsoring an episode. Fill out our contact form to get a reminder about upcoming discussion meetings and the Skype link to join! Follow the Facebook page. Join the Facebook group Parents of Children with Rare Conditions. Access the transcript on the website here. And if you love this podcast, please leave us a rating or review in your favorite podcast app!