Being a parent is not a job for wimps. It takes a lot of stamina to weather the ups and downs of childhood. Putting up with the temper tantrums of 2-year-olds, the "my parents are so stupid" stage of preteens, and the door-slamming, leave-me-alone mantra of teenagers is enough to make any parent want to resign. By the time you get that last child graduated and out the door, you feel like you've earned the equivalence of a merit badge.

But being the parent of a handicapped child is an even bigger task. Along with the shock and concern that hits these parents when they first discover that their child is not "normal," comes the realization that the future is not going to be predictable. While raising any child is a lifetime process, a handicapped child usually can never fully be on his own and will always need the supervision and care of someone else.

Yet, through the years I've met many parents of handicapped children who have raised their children with love, with laughter, and with hope for the future. They have accepted the task that life has given them and handled it with faith and steely determination. They have refused to see their child as a disappointment, but as a gift from God who needs them to be their advocate here on earth.

I recently met such a wonderful couple. Charlotte and Howard Wyss have been married 54 years and spent all their life farming south of Stratton. As a young couple they adopted a beautiful baby girl, Dee Ann, who continues to bring lots of love and joy into their lives. Later, they decided to add to their family by adopting another child. Through a doctor in Benkelman, they heard about Steve, a newborn infant whose parents already had several children and couldn't afford another. Five days after his birth, Steve came to be a part of the Wyss household.

He was loved and adored by his parents and older sister. But when he was one, his parents realized he wasn't developing at the same rate as babies his age. They took him to a doctor in Beatrice where he was diagnosed as mentally handicapped and developmentally delayed. The doctor wasn't sure if Steve had been this way at birth or if a high fever he suffered at two months of age had caused his mental retardation. The doctor suggested that his parents consider placing him in a home for the mentally handicapped and leave him there for the remainder of his life.

For Charlotte and Howard, this was not a viable option. Steve was their child and they were going to raise him the best they could. They returned to the farm and loved him just like they would any child. When he was five, they sent him to school at Stratton. But this was before the days of special education classes and teachers with specialized training. Steve was only in the public school one year before the teachers felt that they couldn't help him any more.

Searching and finding a school for handicapped children, they enrolled Steve in a special school in Cozad. Every Monday morning they would drive him to Cozad, and then they would drive back to pick him up after classes on Friday afternoon. Steve attended the Cozad school for ten years where he learned a lot of life skills. His parents met other parents of handicapped children from Southwest Nebraska, all who were frustrated at the lack of educational options for their children in their own hometowns.

Back in McCook, Steve started with the Southwest Area Training Services program. He still works at their workshop and lives in one of the residential homes in McCook. At the age of 49, Steve lives a life that makes him very comfortable and happy. His parents have taken him home every other weekend for the last 30 years. He enjoys doing things on the farm -- gathering eggs, watching over the chickens and dogs, riding his motorcycle around, and sitting in the combine.

He is especially happy to be with his loving parents. Steve's favorite place at home is in the kitchen watching his mother cook all his favorite dishes. They often go into Trenton to visit Steve's grandmother in the nursing home. When Steve is back in McCook, his mother writes him the sweetest notes telling about the chores, farm life and harvesting that his Dad is doing.

It was due to the hard work of parents of handicapped children that SWATS was begun. Richard Klein was the main mover and motivator, starting ARC organization in the late '60s. He and other parents realized that the living and employment options for their children were extremely restricted, and that if anything was going to be done about it, they would have to do it themselves.

Due to their determination, group homes for handicapped children and adults were opened in McCook starting in the late '60s. Around 1970, the first SWATS workshop was opened on Norris Avenue. A developmental center for handicapped children who were preschool age was started at the National Guard Armory.

Through these early efforts, and through federal and state funding and legislation that later opened up possibilities for handicapped people, McCook now has four modern and well equipped group homes for the residents of SWATS. There are 52 clients in the program, ranging in age from 21 through 73. They work at boxing finished products for companies and cleaning places like the rest area, football field, and shopping mall parking lot. Several residents also hold jobs in the community on top of their SWATS duties. And all the residents have found a place where they are valued, respected, and loved.

Our hearts go out to parents of handicapped children. More importantly, our hats go off to parents like the Wyss' and the Kleins' and all those who raised their children with love and fought hard to give them a good life. These parents believed more than anything that their children deserved a chance at a good education and a place as a productive member of society. Our community is a better place for their efforts.

But these advocates continue their mission to increase the opportunities available for the handicapped in our community. Richard Klein is now heading up a group working to get a Therapeutic Riding program going at the Kiplinger arena. This program will bring horses together with the handicapped for sessions of riding. We applaud their dedication and unceasing work for those less fortunate. You are an inspiration to us all.