Love Should Never Replace Professional Access
Sometimes I think about how much families do for one another.
Love often shows up in practical ways.
Helping.
Supporting.
Stepping in when someone needs you.
As a Deaf parent, I have spent time reflecting on the difference between care and responsibility.
The two can sit very close together.
A child may help because they love their parent.
A child may want to be useful.
A child may feel proud to be trusted.
All of those things can be true.
But love does not automatically make a responsibility appropriate.
Sometimes what looks like care from the outside can place a child in a role that was never meant to belong to them.
The more I reflect on this, the more I return to a simple truth:
Love should be free to remain love.
It should not have to carry the weight of professional access.
Love should never replace professional access.
This reflection comes from my perspective as a Deaf parent, shaped by my family, my experiences, and the CODA voices I have listened to over time. It is not about speaking for every CODA, but about recognising a pattern that deserves care.
