What I’ve Learned From Dating With Cerebral Palsy – Yahoo Lifestyle

a young woman looking perplexed sitting alone at a table

One of the biggest misconceptions about people with disabilities is that we have no desire to date, or have no understanding of what a relationship consists of. I can tell you first hand that this is false. For as long as I can remember, Ive always dreamt about the day I will finally get married. I dream of having a ceremony in the smoky mountains of Tennessee, and getting to ride off afterward in a red 1978 Ford Truck with my future husband.

Dating has been one of the most difficult parts of my life. Ever since I hit puberty in middle school, I had an interest in dating and having a boyfriend (as many young 13-year-olds do). However, I often had trouble with this because boys wouldnt dare to give me the time of day. I believe it was mainly because of my cerebral palsythat they just didnt want to deal with the judgment and stigmas related to dating someone like me, and I cant blame them for thinking that way.

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All of those experiences taught me that the first step of meeting and getting to know someone is being in love with yourself first, while accepting your circumstances and your situation. Once you accomplish this, then you can meet someone who will look past your disability and love you for you. Loving yourself when you have a disability may not be the easiest task for some people, but it helps you to move forward when youre single and want to put yourself out there into the dating scene as someone with a disability.

If you dont love yourself, how can you expect other people to gravitate towards you and want to get to know you? Self-confidence is magnetic. If you dont love yourself and accept that you are who you are and acknowledge that you were made this way, then others may find it difficult to love and accept you as well.

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It all starts with you and whether you are willing to try loving yourself, including the way your medical condition shapes you, as well as how you perceive your life as a person with a disability.

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Ive also learned that not everyone you have a romantic interest in is going to return those feelings, and thats OK. That doesnt mean theres anything wrong with you or the person that you are. You just have to accept their feelings and move on from it, while remembering that youll find to love you no matter what struggles you experience and what situation youre in.

The importance of self-love when dating with a disability may be hard, but its worth it.

All throughout my experience with dating with a disability, Ive realized that while it isnt an easy process, it is a worthwhile one. It is essential that no matter where you are in your journey, you take time out and learn to embrace yourself and your situation. In my case, I need to acknowledge my wheels, the adventures I get to go on because of my cerebral palsy, and all the things that having cerebral palsy has taught me over the years.

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I have learned a lot about myself during the experience of finding love with cerebral palsy. Although my life hasnt been the easiest, I have learned that loving myself and my disability come first are foremost.

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What I've Learned From Dating With Cerebral Palsy - Yahoo Lifestyle