As a mere mortal you are charged with another human life that you have to teach how to eat, walk, talk, play, and learn.  You are responsible for teaching the child morals, values and the difference between right and wrong.

But for some mothers, caring for your child goes well beyond the basics.  Just ask Jamala Bell.

Bell's son Jeremiah is six-years-old.  He has an excessive language delay, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, (ADHD), and possible Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Oppositional Defiant Disorder.

He's a special child, said Bell, age 30.

In the beginning, Jeremiah's care was typical, she said. He was born six weeks early, and he was a great little boy, Bell said.  He never cried, and he was a joy of a child, she said. Things changed after a fire destroyed their apartment.  He can be quite a hand full.

"Jeremiah is very challenging," Bell said. "He goes through some really angry and aggressive times.  Our sleep schedules are up and down because he has nightmares and screams a lot during the night. Day to day I never know what to expect.  It is very exhausting."

Although she suspected the fire triggered something, she had no idea what was going on with the youngster, she said.

"Jeremiah would pick up his little toy table and throw it at me," she said. "I knew something was wrong, but I could not figure it out.  There were just certain things that he was doing, like crying incessantly."

As he continued to grow up, he caused scenes at home, and at the grocery store.

"People would come up to me and tell me that I was not doing a very good job of controlling his behavior," she said.

Despite her son's disabilities, it is a blessing to be his mom, said Bell.

"I don't know where I would be if I didn't have him," Bell said. "I don't have the support that I should have so it can be challenging, but I love being his mom. I put everything as far as me on the backburner to focus on him.  I don't sleep.  I constantly monitor him.  I feel like I have a newborn.  At times it is frustrating.  I want to be able to help him and I can't. "

Although her frustration runs deep, he needs someone who can provide hugs and love and support, Bell said.

"You can't put being a mother into words," she said. "On his good days he smiles and lights up my world. I take those times with me.  Good or bad, I would never trade in my son."

And Jeremiah would never trade his mom, he said.

"My mom takes care of me. She makes me feel safe.  She cooks the best burgers and she is a nice mother.  She is very funny.  I would never give her up."

However, their lives are not without complications.

"I don't know how I get through his meltdowns," Bell said. "I do journaling.  I try to not react when he reacts.  I don't get upset when he is upset, because it makes things worse.  The closest friend I have lives in Tennessee. And his father is a sergeant stationed at Fort Campbell."

For company, she travels to her mother's home frequently.  She recalled life growing up with a brother who was disabled.

"It has always been normal for me to be around people with disabilities," Bell said.

"I grew up with a brother who is disabled.  But when you are the parent, oh my Lord is it different.   You just have to wonder how your parents did it.  You worry about everything.  You stress over things like how to talk to the doctor, and what medicines, if any, your child needs."

However, the biggest challenges of being a mom are lack of support and no breaks, she said.

Throughout the past seven years, she has only had about a handful of overnight breaks away from Jeremiah, she said.

"It gets harder and harder not having a break," she said.  "I love my son, and I love raising him.  One of my greatest pleasures of being mom is watching his creativity.  Just watching what he creates is such a pleasure.  And seeing him draw and color is also wonderful. He is excelling above what was expected for his age.  Seeing him smile is one of my favorite things.  I don't see it a lot.  I hold onto those smiles.  I know that someday we are going to have every day be a good day."