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, December 24, 2012

Struggling to Enjoy This

I am admitting I am really struggling right now.  With anxiety, depression, anger and disappointment.  I think that I had a lot of false expectations of what this Christmas in this new house, new town would be like.  Two of my kids are really resentful that we have moved here, that they are far from the home town they grew up in, far from their friends.  Nothing feels right to them.  I have picked up their negative emotions and responded with anger.  I want them to love living here because I love living here.  I longed to lived here.  I longed for positive change not only for Caroline but for myself.  Now we are here and we are getting much resistance.  I thought that Christmas all together here would be fun, filled with great family memories.  I guess my expectations were unrealistic, at least for this first year, having only been here six months.  I need prayers for peace in our home and for real joy.  And for patience with my kids.  And the ability to not take on their negativity.
Posted by at

6 comments:

GB's Mom said...

Praying. May God's Peace find you.

December 24, 2012 at 10:54 PM
Megan said...

Thank you! Merry Christmas!!

December 25, 2012 at 2:43 PM
Anonymous said...

You are a wonderful mother!! Your kids will appreciate you and what you have done for them, maybe not today but one day! Take care of yourself, you are in my thoughts!!
Janice

December 26, 2012 at 10:30 AM
Johanna said...

I don't think I've ever left a comment before, but I've been reading your blog for probably a year (maybe longer - I was looking for blogs about bipolar disorder when my son was diagnosed with Mood Disorder NOS). Just wanted to say that moving is hard and it takes time (speaking as a former military brat who moved LOTS). It takes about a year to really settle in, and if this is the first move for your kids, it might take longer ... but it will happen. Next year I bet your Christmas will be awesome! Thanks for sharing your experiences. They really help me keep my perspective - hope your holiday break goes well and next semester is a better one for all.

December 26, 2012 at 11:43 AM
Megan said...

Thanks everyone for the comments! Things got better as the break has progressed. Grateful. And lots of snow has helped. :)

December 28, 2012 at 10:32 AM
Anonymous said...

Hi Meg,
I was looking for your wisdom. I write the blog, My Son Has 2 Brains and as my son gets older I’m trying to decide on how much info I should share about my son as he gets older. I want to protect his privacy so I remain anonymous, but I still am concerned about what I blog. I was wondering if you have any wisdom on this since you have an older child yourself. Do you have an anonymous gmail account that you can email me back with? Here is my email:
mysonhas2brains@gmail.com

No need to post this comment on your blog, it was for you only : )

January 18, 2013 at 1:43 PM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)