There comes a time when you realize it is more than a tantrum, that it’s probably not normal when your three-foot-high child throws a chair at you in retaliation, pees on the floor to make a point, tries to run out the front door of the house when you send him or her to their room to cool off. There comes a time when you realize that it might not be a phase, might not blow over, might bring your family and relationships to their knees if you don’t do something soon.
There comes a time when you have to call in the big guns, the pediatricians, counselors and behavioral therapists who can help you make sense of your kid’s inexplicable defiance.
That’s what we did late last fall when, for example, the mere act of getting our preschooler out of bed in the morning became an act of all-out nuclear war. After a number of sessions with a counselor and various assessments, it was determined yesterday that our beloved but headstrong youngster has a case of oppositional defiant disorder with signs of anxiety, depression and ADHD.
Confession: Though the child is no longer acting out at school, the diagnosis was no shock to me. All the same, I’d lie if I didn’t feel alone, heartbroken, exhausted, frustrated and slightly angry for being handed this challenge during an already challenging time. More on that later.
My goal here is not to wallow (though it will probably happen so let me apologize in advance for that future moment of weakness). My goal is to move forward and be hopeful when it’s hard; to illustrate our family’s journey in getting our child the help she needs; to build a community of moms who can support each other, exchange wisdom and talk about tactics that worked for them; and to try and create a space where we can share stories, help each other with not just our children’s wellness but our own and, of course, try to find ways to laugh when things might look bleak.
Welcome. If you are an old hat at this journey, I’d sure appreciate hearing from you at thehopefulmom (at) gmail (dot) com. If you’re new to this too, then please join me in this ride.
Regards,
The Hopeful Mom
