About our Daughter

I am mother to four wonderful daughters, ages 17, 19, 21, and 23, and wife to the greatest husband on earth. God has given us a special child to raise one who was diagnosed with early-onset bipolar disorder at the age of seven, though she showed signs of it from the age of fifteen months. She also has ADHD, Sensory Integration Disorder (sensory seeking), Dyslexia, and Non-Verbal Learning Disorder-NOS, all typical comorbidities for a bipolar child. In spite of the trials, she enjoys lacrosse, running (finished her first marathon in October of 2014!), and reading and writing her own books. I will share with you the many joys and sorrows we have faced and will face in the future with the hope that you may find better understanding about this mental illness caused by both chemical and structural abnormalities in the brain. I desire that you will be encouraged by this blog if you are also dealing with a bipolar child. Thank you for reading and sharing in our journey.

How Did You Know She Was Bipolar So Young?

I wrote a long explanation of how we came to this bipolar diagnosis in a child so young under my post of March 19th of 2009. If your child or a child you know bears similarities, please seek out a good psychiatrist and don't wait for "things to get better." Often they will simply get worse, and the longer a child is unmedicated, the more damage their brain can accrue. Early diagnoses and treatment are key to providing these children with a chance at a successful life later as a teen and an adult.
Never change, start or stop a medication without the approval of your child's physician!

Monday, February 8, 2010

More Mature Than We Were

My husband and I often comment that in spite of early-onset bipolar disorder and the many ways that this illness affects Caroline, she is actually more mature than we were at her same age by leaps and bounds. The struggles she has been through since she was very young have taught her life lessons that many adults have yet to learn. She is an "old soul" as many of my friends who know her say. Her spiritual depth, and her understanding about the realities of life--the good, the bad, and the ugly--surpasses that of many of her peers, which us why she is so frustrated very often by her attempts at friendships with other young teens. They are often interested in things she has no interest in like gossip, shopping, dating, and the like. She has her sights set on marrying a man like her daddy, who treats her with respect. She sees that most teenage guys are "stupid" however "smart" they are, because they mostly think with their hormones. I tell her often that one day she will have a lot of friends, but they have to catch up to her maturity, which will take a few years. I think her late teens and twenties will be good years for her. As long as she stays on her meds, follows the Lord, knows her limits, and chooses the right friends, she can accomplish so much in this life. We know that she has a future and a hope! Jeremiah 29:11

3 comments:

domandkat said...

Friends worth keeping didn't come to me 'til I was in college! Shakespeare recommended keeping young people in a box 'til they were what? 21? He has a point - just maybe not the box! And I don't think that goes for all young folks, just most ;-)

Are we still on for lunch on Wed.?

marythemom said...

We were discussing this in therapy today. Teenage girls are just horrible. My 14 yr old daughter is so struggling. Today we told her it would get better in late high school. Hope we weren't lying!

I thought you needed some sunshine so I gave you an award. Stop by http://marythemom-mayhem.blogspot.com/2010/02/and-now-for-something-completely.html to pick it up.

Hugs and prayers,
Mary in TX

Cinda said...

Ahhh, yes, Megan, we have discussed this as well. Behind in many things and so far ahead in others. Linea speaks of this often. You are a great mom and Dad must be awesome as well! Take care, Cinda