Hello everyone,

If you’ve read my previous blog, you probably already know the amount of work and responsibilities that I carry. Now imagine juggling all of this, and in between these responsibilities—waiting on someone who was supposed to send an article, or co-organise a session, or maybe moderate a discussion, or co-coordinate an event… and then, poof! They vanish without a word.

Let’s talk about that today.


## One Delay Isn’t Just “One Delay”

We function as a team. That means one person dropping out at the last minute doesn’t just affect their task—it affects a chain of things lined up after it.

If a designer or a blogger doesn’t submit their content, we can’t schedule the post assigned for that day.
If a session coordinator ghosts me the day before an event, the entire event is at risk.
If someone cancels a meeting that took three other people’s coordination, and subsequent events and things lined after it, it’s whole planning, the time, energy, and focus gets lost—sometimes beyond repair.

It’s not just “a small delay.” It’s disruption. And when it happens repeatedly, it shakes the foundation of what we’re building together.


## I Don’t Run This Like a WhatsApp Hobby Group—This is an Organization

I come from a corporate background. I’ve worked in high-pressure environments with tight turnarounds and real consequences for missed deadlines. So yes, I bring that same level of discipline, planning, and professionalism into what we do here.

We’re not here running a loose setup where anyone can come and go without accountability.

We have SOPs. We have guidelines. We have calendars. We have a system.

Because that’s how an organization thrives. That’s how we manage to run over two dozen initiatives with a lean team and still remain consistent, reliable, and trusted by hundreds of families.

So when someone brushes off the deadlines or makes fun of our systems, saying things like:

“Why so many rules?
“Why can’t I post my advertisement in the group?”
“Why can’t I share info from other pages?”

I just want to say: This isn’t about being rigid. This is about maintaining integrity.



## SpecialSaathi Official WhatsApp group

Let me clarify this once and for all, since some folks seem confused despite the group rules being stated literally everywhere:

1. SpecialSaathi Official WhatsApp group is for our official organizational updates only.
2. We don’t endorse or approve information from random external sources, so allowing them or any such information in the group would be irresponsible.
3. We have dedicated All  India parent’s discussion groups and community-sharing spaces for everything else. Yes, we created those too.

When people ignore this, post ads, spam with unrelated therapy videos, or share posts from other groups without checking—what you’re doing is disrespecting the space we’ve carefully curated for structured, relevant support.

And yes, it gets exhausting to delete such posts daily—especially when I already have a hundred other things to attend to, personally and professionally. Let me say this honestly: I had to put our WhatsApp group on Admin mode to protect my sanity.
After working almost 18-hours daily, I really can’t afford to…..

## Facebook Group with 450+ Members… But No Conversations?

This one hits hard. I see the same silence in our Facebook group, despite having over 450 members.

No interaction. No sharing of experiences. Just a couple of automated therapy ads being sent to me for approval. We are already emotionally taxed parents here. We don’t need fake hope, misinformation, or salesy distractions.

It shows that many want to receive, few want to contribute. And while we’re here, pouring our hearts into this mission—the least we ask is: show up.


## Show up: If not in action, at least in respect.

This is all I ask.

If you can’t volunteer, that’s okay.
If you’re too overwhelmed to contribute, I understand.
If you’re struggling and just want to quietly read our resources, that’s fine too.

But please—don’t misuse the space, don’t criticize the structure, and don’t belittle the efforts behind it all.

You may see me daily posting a link.
I see the hours it took to write, review, format, and schedule it.
You may think a rule is unnecessary.
I see it as the reason the group doesn’t collapse into chaos.


We built SpecialSaathi not just for services, but for community—a safe, organized, empowered space for neurodivergent individuals and their families.

We don’t charge for the majority of what we do. We work hard behind the scenes to make everything smooth, reliable, and authentic.

All we ask for in return is: show up with sincerity. Respect the system. Don’t make more work for people who are already overworked.

Let’s value each other’s time and efforts. Because this isn’t just about rules. It’s about building something meaningful—together.

With warmth (and a little fatigue, but a lot of hope),
Shilpi Mayank Awasthi
Founder | Parent | Advocate