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Aimee Bradley

@dream1ncolour

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Parenting, fashion and lifestyle
Hampshire UK
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Neurodivergent Family
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Sometimes I wonder if my children will ever truly understand just how much went on behind the scenes.

The endless emails, the phone calls, the meetings, the appointments, the tears of frustration and the nights spent worrying about their future.

The times we’ve had to fight for things that should never have been a fight in the first place.

And sometimes, amongst all the paperwork, assessments and battles for support, I wish we could just be parents. Enjoying our children growing up without constantly having to prove what they need.

But I don’t ever want my children to feel like they’re a burden or that any of this is because of them.

Our children are not the problem. A system that makes families fight for support is.

And if they grow up never knowing just how hard we fought, then maybe that’s a good thing.

Because we didn’t do any of it for a thank you.

We did it because we love them, because they deserve every opportunity to thrive, and because giving up on them was never an option.

To every mum, dad, grandparent and caregiver fighting battles nobody else sees, I see you. 🫶

#SENDParenting #SENDFamilies #AdditionalNeeds #DisabilityAwareness #Neurodiversity SENDAwareness Inclusion AutismAcceptance taken in Hampshire by @dream1ncolour

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Apparently I’ve reached the age where a gorgeous chunky knit and a good pair of wide-leg jeans genuinely make me ridiculously happy. 😂

And I’m absolutely here for it!

From the cosiest cable-knit jumper dress (which I’m already planning to live in) to effortless everyday knits, gorgeous denim and those floaty striped trousers, this little haul is giving me all the autumn wardrobe vibes.

I love clothes that look like you’ve made an effort when, in reality, you’ve just thrown something on and hoped for the best.

Comfy, cute, easy to style and perfect for those days when you want to feel put together without actually having to try too hard.

YARNWELL | 516259948
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Omancia | 564033667
Omancia | 549431969 taken in Hampshire by @dream1ncolour

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Some days are just harder than others.
Some days you think you’re holding it all together, and then the smallest thing happens and suddenly you’re fighting back tears.
Because being a SEND parent is exhausting in ways you can’t always explain.
You’re so busy fighting for your child’s needs, their rights and their future that sometimes it feels like you’re missing the very childhood you’re fighting so hard to protect.
You don’t want to spend every day being an advocate, a caseworker or the person who has to hold everything together.
Sometimes you just want to be their mum.
To enjoy the little moments without another battle hanging over you.
And sometimes the hardest part is wiping away your tears, putting a smile back on your face and making sure your children never know just how close you are to breaking. taken in Hampshire by @dream1ncolour

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There’s a whole side of SEND parenting that doesn’t get spoken about enough. The future.

Not the next appointment, the next annual review or the next battle for support. I’m talking about the future that keeps you awake at 2am, wondering about things most parents will never have to consider.
I love my boys more than life itself, but I’d be lying if I said the responsibility didn’t sometimes feel absolutely overwhelming.

Because we spend so much of our lives fighting to make the world a safer, kinder and more understanding place for our children. Yet we have absolutely no guarantee that the people who come after us will fight just as hard.

And that’s what breaks my heart.

I don’t need anyone to promise me they’ll have perfect lives. I just need to know they’ll have lives filled with love, dignity, happiness and people who genuinely give a crap. It’s a fear I wouldn’t wish on anyone, but I know so many SEND parents carry it quietly, every single day.

Please tell me I’m not alone in this. taken in Hampshire by @dream1ncolour

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2 days ago

The side of SEND parenting that nobody really talks about.

The mental exhaustion. The constant worrying. The endless appointments, emails, paperwork and battles just to get your child the support they deserve.
Being their voice when nobody listens. Their safe place when the world feels too overwhelming. Their advocate in a system that constantly makes you prove what you already know.

And somewhere in the middle of all that, you’re still trying to be a mum, keep a household running, show up for your other children and somehow find a little bit of yourself.

You spend so much time making sure everyone else is okay that you forget to ask yourself the same question.
Then the house finally goes quiet, nobody needs anything from you, and suddenly the weight of everything you’ve been carrying catches up with you.

Not because you love your child any less. Not because you wouldn’t do it all again tomorrow.

But because being strong for everyone else doesn’t mean you’re not exhausted too.
To every SEND parent holding it all together while quietly falling apart behind the scenes, I see you.

#SENDParenting #SENDMum #AdditionalNeedsParenting #ParentCarer #SENDAwareness by @dream1ncolour

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Behind every diagnosis is a child. A child with their own personality, strengths, challenges, dreams and a future full of possibilities.

A diagnosis doesn’t define who they are. It simply helps us understand how we can better support them. And behind so many of these children are parents, grandparents, carers and loved ones doing everything they can to make sure their needs are understood and their voices are heard.

The appointments, the assessments, the endless paperwork, the battles for support… so much of it happens behind closed doors. We don’t want special treatment for our children. We want understanding, acceptance, inclusion and the same opportunities as everyone else.

Because our children don’t need to change who they are to fit into the world.

The world needs to become better at making room for them. 🧡

To every parent and caregiver advocating for a child with additional needs, you’re not alone.

#SEND #SENDParenting #AdditionalNeeds #Neurodiversity #DisabilityAwareness taken in Hampshire by @dream1ncolour

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Me every single day. Tomorrow I will try hard harder. 😭🥹 taken in Hampshire by @dream1ncolour

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4 days ago

Nothing prepares you for that wave of relief. #SENDParent #AdditionalNeedsParent by @dream1ncolour

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4 days ago

Maybe you don’t need to push through everything.

Maybe sometimes the strongest thing you can do is recognise that you’re in a storm and give yourself permission to stop.

Rest isn’t giving up.

Sometimes it’s simply protecting your wings until you’re ready to fly again. taken in Hampshire by @dream1ncolour

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6 days ago

Gosh, eight years it just flies by. taken in Hampshire by @dream1ncolour

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6 days ago

8 years. Gone in the blink of an eye.

Ashton, in your eight short years, you have taught me more about life than I could ever have learnt in my entire lifetime. You have taught me kindness, patience, strength, resilience and a depth of love I never even knew existed. You are brilliant, funny, kind, wonderfully unique and quite honestly one of the most incredible little people I have ever known.

There was a time when we didn’t know if we would ever hear your voice. We were told you would never speak. There were so many moments when I wondered whether I would ever get to hear what was going on inside that beautiful little mind of yours.

And now? Well, now you never bloody stop talking.

Our conversations might not always look like everyone else’s. More often than not, you’re simply telling me absolutely everything you know about whatever has captured your imagination that day. But what I wouldn’t have given, all those years ago, to hear you do exactly that. Because listening to you, Ashton, is a privilege I once thought I might never have. And I hope you know that I will never, ever take your voice for granted.

I never imagined myself being a boy mum. Yet here I am, living a life I never knew I needed, and I cannot imagine a world in which I wasn’t your mummy.

You have challenged me, changed me, taught me and made me see the world in ways I never would have without you.
And the beautiful thing is, while the world has spent eight years teaching you how to navigate it, you’ve spent those same eight years teaching me how to see it differently.

Eight beautiful, extraordinary years of you.

I am so incredibly proud of the little boy you are, everything you have overcome and the person you are becoming.I cannot wait to watch you grow, discover more of the world and continue becoming unapologetically, wonderfully you.

Happy 8th birthday, my beautiful Ashton. ❤️

I will never stop being grateful that I get to be your mum. taken in Hampshire by @dream1ncolour

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6 days ago

🎂 What I bought my autistic son for his 8th birthday! 🎁

And just like that, my beautiful Ashton is EIGHT!

Shopping for Ashton is always an adventure because when this boy loves something, he REALLY loves it!

This year, we’ve got a bit of everything, from trains, diggers and construction vehicles to tools, carrots (yes, carrots! 🥕), sticker books and a few last-minute requests that sent me into a birthday shopping panic!
I’ve tried to choose presents based on his current interests, the things that bring him joy and activities that will keep him happily entertained.
Some were absolute bargains, others were a little more expensive than I’d planned (I’m looking at you, Bruder! 👀💸), but every single present was chosen with Ashton in mind.
One thing I’ve learnt over the years is that children’s interests don’t have to fit into an age bracket. If something makes him happy, encourages him to play and brings him joy, that’s what matters. 🧡
I’ve included where everything was purchased from, because I know how helpful it can be seeing what other parents buy for their children, especially when you’re looking for gift inspiration for children with similar interests.
and I know that I am extremely grateful and very lucky that I am still buying toys for my eight-year-old on his birthday.

Happy 8th birthday to my gorgeous boy! 🥹🎂🧡

#AutisticChildren #BirthdayGiftIdeas #BirthdayHaul #AutismAcceptance taken in Hampshire by @dream1ncolour

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