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!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Off Topic: Left-Handed Writing

I don't know how many of you out there are lefties, or have a child who is, but I have just discovered something that has helped me tremendously. We lefties often have messy handwriting because we are holding the pen or pencil at weird angle, and pushing it across the paper instead of drawing it across the paper fluidly. I just started a new job, and I have to write much more legibly than I have been doing at home. So, knowing that I write beautifully with a calligraphy marker for some reason, I decided to buy myself a more expensive ball point pen specifically labeled "smooth writer."

Well, what a difference! I can write so much more neatly and easily with a pen that flows easily. My husband couldn't believe the difference either. I usually just use whatever Bic pen is around, the cheap kind that come in a 10 pack, but I guess I need to invest more money in good writing instruments. I am so happy that I don't have to struggle with handwriting anymore. Only took me nearly forty years to figure that one out!!

3 comments:

marythemom said...

I am left handed and my handwriting is awful for several reasons, but one of the big ones is holding my hand funny so my pinky doesn't drag in the wet ink. Does this pen's ink dry quickly?

Mary in TX

Megan said...

The ink doesn't dry fast, unfortunately. I need to experiment with other brands to find one that doesn't smear!

domandkat said...

I didn't know you were a lefty! Dominic and I both are and so is Andrew.

Cool!