Each election cycle I am more surprised, and sometimes offended, at the way our children become pawns to help someone get elected to public office. I am not saying we should avoid talking about special needs at this time; but I am suggesting that when the topic comes up, the discussion should be of substance and not just fluff to gain votes.

A good friend of mine has three beautiful children. Her second son has Down's Syndrome. From my limited experience with other children with Down's, I would say he is substantially affected by his chromosomal anomaly. In plain English, he is a handful!

My friend is a well-educated, loving, and kind woman. At the end of a day at the zoo with our kids, I have seen the same look in her eyes that must be in mine. It is complete mental and physical exhaustion from the stress of dealing with Down's, Asperger's, ADHD (emphasis on the "H" with all 3 of our special kiddos), sensory issues, and all the regular little kid stuff that goes along with a day in the heat.

Shortly after Sarah Palin's name was introduced to us as John McCain's running mate and the mother of a baby with Down's, this friend emailed to me an article about Ms. Palin. She wondered what effect her candidacy would have on services for our children with special needs.

I have to admit that I am skeptical there will be any benefit to our children or any other kids with special challenges. Why? Ms. Palin will not begin to deal with the real special needs issues for several years. When those crises hit, the Palins have financial resources to pay for special schools, the best health care, tutors, and support. The rest of us don't have that luxury.

Where you live plays a huge role in determining what type of education your child receives and the type of health care available to him/her. The Palin's probably won't have to worry about access to anything that the rest of us fight tooth and nail to get for our children.

Four years ago, my husband and I made the very difficult decision to relocate half-way across the United States in order to live in a city with outstanding special education services. It took every bit of savings we had to accomplish our goal, and it is unlikely we will recover financially any time soon. Although our options are limited by what we can afford, we believe we made the right decision.

The very sad fact remains that those of us in the special needs trenches can choose to be the supportive parents whose children will thrive, or we can choose to advocate on a national level with the credibility and strength necessary to bring about change. There isn't enough time in the day to do both. When I am finally able to do that, my children will be grown.

Being a political figure doesn't do the trick either. You must experience it day in and day out to understand what I am talking about. Sarah hasn't had to do that as Governor of Alaska, and she certainly won't be able to do it as Vice President. Nope, I just don't see the change coming our way.