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!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Prom

Caroline is eligible to go to prom at the small private school in which she is still officially enrolled as a homeschooled student.  So we are allowing her to go since the poor kid has basically been sitting at home since October, no lacrosse, no friends with whom to interact.  Today we went prom dress shopping and she was so very happy.  I made an appointment to get her hair done too.  With all she has been missing, I am happy to give her the chance to do something really special and to feel like a princess for once.  I think her older sister is jealous even though she has no reason to be.   The girl went to three senior proms!  Time for the little sisters to have their time in the spotlight.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm sure she will be stunning! :)

Anonymous said...

That is so nice! My dd just went on Saturday, and she is a freshman. She also had her first date, as a boy with similar issues asked her. It was his first date, too and both had the times of their lives. I hope Caroline shines as well!