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!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Well, It was Good While it Lasted

Her demerit-free school year that is. Today was her last final exam, and apparently one of the most obnoxious boys would not stop clicking his pen after she asked him several times to stop during the test. He started trash talking, and she hauled off and punched him in the back. I got the phone call around 9:30 am, shortly after realizing she had FORGOTTEN TO TAKE HER MEDS! She was also up too late last night (my fault). I am not excusing her actions, but probably she would have kept her cool if she had her meds and had more sleep. So she has her first demerits. Two more days of school and it's over! We aren't too mad at her since she has had a great year behaviorally at school aside from this. She is bummed about not being able to say she is the only kid without a single demerit, but I told her don't sweat it. Again, the school has been very gracious. She probably would have been suspended at any other school.

1 comment:

Fighting for my Children said...

Sounds like the guy deserved to be slugged but of coarse that is not how the school would see it. Glad they didnt suspend her though.