On #MothersDay, it was a privilege to collaborate with #NIMHANS, Dept. of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, for an online training program on "Integrating Child Protection and Mental Health Perspectives into Interventions for Children with Disability." I had the opportunity to address an elite group of professionals, including medical doctors, Ph.D. holders, and influential figures capable of impacting policies and practices. The key takeaway from this experience was understanding that vulnerability is a construct we create when we limit agency in others. Our goal is not to give a voice to others, but rather to recognize that voices already exist, and we must listen and not block or dismiss them. I emphasized the importance of making lived experiences matter by adopting a transdisciplinary approach in practice. In this approach, a mother's experiential knowledge should be heard, included, valued, and considered a vital component when formulating intervention programs for her child. This should be the practice of all professionals, whether they come from medical or non-medical backgrounds, academic or non-academic. If we fail to include this perspective, we are missing out on essential aspects and not following a life-span approach to rehabilitation. It's crucial to understand that no child lives in a vacuum. We should embrace the biopsychosocial model over strict medical models, recognizing that the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of each family member, every professional, neighborhood member, policy maker, and society as a whole matter. They can either act as facilitators or barriers in a mother's parenting journey. This Mother's Day, let us remember to respect every journey, for every journey matters! #Families_Matter
