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!

Saturday, October 16, 2010

I Want to Live on a Farm

Sometimes I really do.  I wish I could whisk the whole family away from our lives right here and go live on a rolling farm somewhere, homeschool all of them, and just be content with living off of the land and being together as a family, Little House on the Prairie style.  No TV, no Facebook, no Entertainment magazine. Sounds like a fantasy, but I wish my kids could grow up and just be who they were meant to be and not who the world says they should be.  Between the influences of the media and their peers in school or wherever, my children are told over and over again that they are valued for their looks, their achievements, their economic status, the neighborhood they live in, the friends they keep, the clothes they wear, and so on.  God gave us the life we are living, but I long for something more peaceful, less frantic, less dictated by the pressures of our society in this time and day.

OK, back to reality.  Maybe.

10 comments:

Heather A said...

I am sooooo with ya. Do you read "The Pioneer Woman" blog? FABULOUS. I loonnnnnnnnnggggg to be her. I have talked MANY MANY times, always jokingly, but in my head I know I really want to-- live on a commune with a bunch of BP families! Ha! Work the land, always have help with our kids, everyone gets "it" -- HA! I think society will all turn that corner soon, where this life, -- which does get uglier as the years go by and machines are more intimate to us than people - we'll all start heading for the hills!

Fighting for my Children said...

I want to live on a farm in the middle of no-where but I want to bring our favorite SEA with us to homeschool my children lol. I would bring her whole family too since she is such a nice lady.

Anna said...

I often think about that too. I also think a back to the land sort of existence is very healing for people with mental health challenges.

ann said...

I agree, I yearn to live a simpler life as well. We have had this experience during camping this summer, it is a more relaxed enviroment without media and so forth. Unfortunately there is only one more week left. Like you said back to reality.
Ann

Anonymous said...

Wouldn't that be nice, a place to call our own. I'm on board! I just don't think I could kill a chicken with my bare hands... and we eat a lot of chicken.

Unknown said...

Amen.
I'm sooooooo glad that I found you! "MarytheMOM" told me about your blog as I am searching for others and resources. I am a mother of two children ages 8 and 9.5 who have both been recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I wait to read more!

Unknown said...

OK, I don't think the last comment I left took :( so if it's a duplicate sorry.

I am soooooo glad that I found you! "MarytheMom" recommended your blog as I am a Mom of two children with recent diagnosis of bipolar disorder and I'm searching for support. I can't wait to read more!
I am blogging at http://www.mytwistedstitches.blogspot.com

Megan said...

HI Mel! I am glad you found me and I look forward to getting to know you and your kids in the upcoming months. Two with bipolar disorder! Wow! You have so much on your plate!! I wish you the best and that you will find a lot of help and support, as you will need it! Blessings on you!!

Jennifer said...

Funny, I've been wanting the same thing for myself and my boys - how can something seem so backward and yet so many people, as evidenced by your post comments, are striving for that exact same thing?!

I appreciate the honesty of your blog. I grew up with a bipolar brother - one who was not dx properly until he was grown and it was for all intents and purposes, too late, the damage to heart and soul from so many years of being misunderstood by the world had take its toll. I know what you are living with is not easy, but I am thankful that you have such a wonderful support network for yourself and your family.

I worry constantly about my 7yo. He has the anger, the tantrums, the obsessions and compulsions, but to date, not the severe mania and depression, so I am hopeful... although cautious!

Megan said...

I really hope your son isn't bipolar, but I am glad you are aware of the signs and symptoms!