Feeling a bit better today. Stink stayed home as well yesterday so we watched some tv, napped and drank artificial tic inducing cocoa which, of course, did not make him tic at all. (I can't figure this TS thing out, and sometimes I'm done trying. My main goal is to get him on a course of focus, and I'm close enough I can taste it! No, that's the hot chocolate. Never mind.)

Thursday I'm taking Stink over to the Brain Balance Center for a 2 hour diagnostic to see what parts of his brain are understimulated. (See post below.) They are going to give him a bunch of motor tests. The next day it's a one hour cognitive/academic test. The idea is that in doing specific exercises you can "stimulate the more underdeveloped hemisphere of the brain." Change is possible due to the plasticity of the brain. While drugs are an option of course, often they dull the symptoms but don't get to the root cause. I'm really thinking, based on so much research I've done, that if we can find the "root cause" and work on that, we'll be so much better off. We'll see!

I don't know if I will buy the whole 12 week "brain activity fix your kid" package, but at least I'll have a good idea after the initial consultation what areas he is lacking in. I can use that information to either go the natural route via Brain Balance or head toward the drug route through UCLA.  I can show the "diagnostic information" to the good doc at UCLA, he can tell me what he thinks, and we can go from there!

All this is timing out beautifully and I'm quite happy.

My son, on the other hand, just asked if I wanted to "come in and cuddle with him" which I can't ignore. If doing brain balance activities knocks the sweet out of him, I'm not going to be happy!

But I can always be joyful. And so can you. Here's what the kids have to say on that. (For some reason I can't get that pretty box to show up in my blog post, so you'll just have to click on the boring YouTube link for viewing pleasure!)
http://www.youtube.com/user/andreapaventi#p/u/0/LgnnXqlOWqA
2 Comments
 
 
I won't lie to you. I am on a spiritual path that has kept me relatively fear free the past six months.

I'm also on 100mg of Zoloft which I take about five days/week. (About six months ago, I had finally hit the wall. Everything came crashing down on me - what I couldn't change in many areas of my life but didn't want to run from either. I needed a little pick me up to keep me from running naked to the Bahamas and never looking back. Though that last option sounds good even on sane days. But I digress... see, Zoloft does not stop me from rambling.)

While my dosage of anti-anxiety is relatively small compared to the 400mg I could be taking, I've found an even profounder source of strength from my weekly Bible studies and regular doses of prayer.

Perhaps more important than the prayer, even, is the meditating I've been doing. Someone once said, "If prayer is talking to God, then meditating is listening to Him." For someone who could easily write 5 blogs/day, it makes sense that listening to God's voice, not my own, has been crucial in my life journey.

Some people come to my site simply for tic info, and that is fine. I am not a Bible thumper nor do I find my way the only way to go. But I felt I had to share this side of myself with you to make sense of the next nugget of info.

Yesterday, out of the blue, someone contacted me. She had not read my blog in 3 years, but my wonky face popped into her head. After doing some searches for Pip, Stink and Tics she found me again. She emailed me her story - a very similar one to mine - and I told her to call me. (Which is odd. I don't normally hand out my phone  number to strangers, but it felt right. The "Spirit" moved me, so to speak.)

She called a few hours later and within moments I knew this random Southern voice was a kindred soul. Why she called a few weeks before I had to decide on meds for Stink I don't know, but I'm grateful. She turned me onto a program that worked for her own son, swearing she was not affiliated with it. I believed her. Why? Because I'm on this path of prayer and I feel God led me to her for a reason. AND her story made sense. It rung true. It felt like another path for me.

Long story short (are my stories ever short?) I'm going to look into her recommended "Brain Balance" program this week. This book is a good start, apparently, and can explain better than I can the concept of brain balance. The idea is that certain sides of our kids' brains are unbalanced, causing anything from tics, ocd, adhd, add and more. By doing certain eye and movement exercises, we can help them stimulate certain parts of the brain and help rewire it so the imbalance is not so strong. 

A large part of the program involves diet and supplements. Given I've already been on this journey for 5 years starting with my holistic Doctor Carroll (hello gluten free/caesin free/and supplements) and this lifechanging book by Dr. Jay Gordon, her call felt like a bow on a present that has been five years in the wrapping.

I am going to call the Brain Balance center today. We have one 15 minutes from my house. I am skeptical in a way (after all, it's about six grand and who has that kind of cash laying around?) but I don't think this kind of business would be able to thrive without referrals - positive referrals where children were helped without drugs.

The old Andrea would second guess all of this nonsense. Why would I do this now - right after seeing a top UCLA T.S. specialist? The devil on my shoudler would scream, "You don't want an answer, do you? You simply enjoy chasing your tail and driving your husband mad - is that it?"

But the faith filled Andrea of today is following her instinct. She is going to follow it over to the Brain Balance Centers as soon as my cold ends and get back to you all with information. And, should I choose to enroll my son as a last option before drugs, I will be following my way into a temp agency where I will be working part time to cover the expenses.

Thanks for listening everyone! What do you all think of a program like this? Would you look into it or do you think I'm just one of those crazed L.A. hippy moms who can't admit my kid is just going to be a bit different from a neurotypical child? 

* Picture taken of a sign at the UCLA parking structure last week before our big T.S. meeting. I had to laugh. Do you all think that our pervasive need to live "perfect" lives comes from messages like that one? Can a parking structure really be perfect? Can our kids and ourselves really be perfect? I think not, and yet, we choose to keep going after that elusive golden ring and find ourselves in frenzies because of it. Isn't it time we give up on the idea that our child must be "x" to live a "perfect" life? Once we can let go of our perfectionistic notions, we can more logically see what we're dealing with and decide on our path, whether it be Brain Balance, drugs, supplements, prayer groups, social classes, none, all or whatnot. Confused? Don't be. You aren't going to answer it all in one day. One step at a time? Perfect.



 
4 Comments
 
 
Sorry about the delay. I had a bad head cold and I wanted to be sure, also, that I let my family and friends know the deal before blabbling my personal biz all over the web. (I know... hard to believe I have any shame when it comes to airing my kids' laundry, eh?)

Here's what happened at UCLA last week with Big Wig TS doc. I'd love to know your thoughts!

First off, we hit traffic, but not too much. We made it in plenty of time. Thank you for your prayers.

We were there for 2 hours 15 minutes. Doctor McKracken is super super laid back and quite handsome (if I do say so myself.) He spent the first 30 minutes talking to Stink, Rex and me - getting to know us. He didn't say much or show much reaction. He let all of us do the talking! (And yes, Stink did plenty of talking, including his first question of "My mommy says that the D.S. makes your brain shrink and I want to know if this is true or not!")

He spent the next hour talking just to Rex and me about everything from Stink's birth, developmental milestones, social interactions from 0-  now, etc.

He then spent 20 mintues talking to Stink alone.

Then he spent 20 minutes with alll three of us.

Then he spent the rest of the session with just Rex and me.

He had already read through the 50 pages of school paperwork to get an idea about how Stink's focus/tics are affecting him in class, but after meeting with us all that day he decided that he still didn't have all the info needed on Stink to make an accurate game plan. He wants more detail on what the school thinks about Stink's academics/relationships before any solid plan is put into play.

With this in mind, he wants to set up a 2 hour meeting with just Rex and myself in a few weeks once he gathers more info.

Based on the meeting we already had, though, his initial thoughts what the upcoming 2 hr. meeting will address are the following: (And he put the topics in order of most important)

1. Stink's tics and focus: 3rd grade is a game changer. If we don't get on this, he could lose out in the future. The doc said we will discuss different kinds of med options. He knows meds are my last option and is willing to talk neuro feedback or other forms of more natural brain balance.

2. Behavior issues: "Nipping at the heels of #1" (as he put it) is Stink's social interactions. While Stink is not mean in the slightest, he is impulsive. He interrupts and is oozing out the ears with high energy which causes him to go on and on with his language and be a bit oblivious to others' needs. This is starting to cause a wee bit of annoynance to his classmates who are maturing beyond their own world and being more aware of those around them. He is not convinced of aspergers but is also not the doc to diagnose this anyway. That would require more in-depth testing. I'll see what the school psychologist says on that end. (Not that a school psychologist can officially diagnose anything, but you'd have to be a blind dumbaxx to not know what they are referring to when they say your kid needs to be treated with x measures based on y symptoms. If x walks like an Aspie and talks like an Aspie it likely is an Aspie. Do I think Stink has it? Not really. He's far too social. He's less "not aware" and more "I don't give a shit" which leads me to the following note:

* My personal side note regarding kids and self-awareness: Kids in 3rd grade are also starting to become self-aware in a not so great way. It's not just out of their self-less good nature that they are aware of others and want to protect others' feelings. They are starting to become a bit of that "I want to fit in and not make a fuss so others like me" type people.

Stink isn't one one of those. There's not an ounce of insecurity in him. I'd hate to drug him up so he can fit into a mold of a boring trend setter. I don't think the doc wants that either, which is why he wants more time to decide if Stink is having occasional dork social issues or if Stink is just exceptionally "who gives a crap what anyone thinks I like myself" which can't be bad. (Though the doc did lean toward the importance of being aware of others' needs which is a big "duh" on my end. There's just a difference between being "aware" and "bending to the status quo" when really, do you remember grammar school? Is the status quo really what we want for our kids? Did that work out for all the big thinkers of the world? Enough said on that point.)

The doc also mentioned a social class that meets once/week at UCLA for "kids like Stink" called "Circle of Friends". It teaches kids to pick up on social cues more. Maybe that alone will be enough before we go to drugs? We'll have to see.

3. "Waaaaay down the list" from 1 and 2 but important enough to make the list are the tics. Stink was ticking through the whole meeting. It's obvious he tics, but they were what we'd call "mild" that day. (Shocking given Halloween the day before, but there you have it.)

The doc is not inclined to consider anti-tic meds since Dom "loves his tics and does not want medication to make him tired."  The doc is concerned about the tics for the same reason as #2 - at some point socially they might become a problem for Stink. Or they could affect academics if they get worse. But still, since Stink is comfortable now with the tics, he figures it's best to approach meds from a focus stand point. The right meds for focus could very well calm Stink down, which would help calm down the tics anyway.

In closing, and this was the most shocking part given the doc's disposition which was very calm and not all that expressive, he ended the meeting with a soft smile, saying that Stink's case is very manageable. He finds Stink to be a very bright, funny boy who is wired for happy. With the right plan in place, there is no reason whatsover that this kid won't go on to live not0only a happy life but an extremely successful one.

Yeah! I knew that, but to hear it from someone who deals with this disorder just took a HUGE weight off my shoulders.

More tomorrow. I hope the best is going on for your kids also and know that a blogger in L.A. is rooting for them and for you!

* pic taken of Papa and Stink on the way into our big meeting at UCLA
3 Comments
 
 


It's been a long long two weeks. I honestly don't think I've ever been so busy
in my whole life. Here's our schedule beginning the Friday before
Halloween:

Friday:             Kids sleep at a friend's house.

Saturday:         Kids have friends sleep at our house.

Sunday:           Church followed by a pumpkin carving at  friends' home.
Monday:           Dia De Los Muertes festivities at school, followed by a mad 
                         dash to craft store to paint Pip's replaced butterfly  wings because she lost her 
                         FOUR FOOT ones somehow between Thursday's ballet party and Halloween.



Monday (cont.):     We had teacher conferences for Pip, followed by a Halloween party followed by dropping Stink and Z at Z's house for Trick or Treating followed by running home so Pip can trick or treat with her friends at our place. (Let's throw in dinner and house cleaning, okay? Would I do all this if Stink hadn't begged for 3 years to trick or treat at someone else's place? No. I thought it would be a good thing for him to have his space. Next year, he can just deal with us again.)

Tuesday:        Our big visit to UCLA. It went well but was EXHAUSTING. (More to come tomorrow... promise!)

Wednesday:   Baby shower for my sis. I am going to have a niece! It was a lovely low key affair.  Nice change.

Thursday:        Ballet and Karate runs with extra homework that night (of course.)

Friday:             Mad prep for Christmas pic outfits because, yah, I had to go with vintage 50's and hit about 3 thrift stores in one hour but got it done

Saturday:        Pip does her talent show audition followed by all of us going to Malibu for our portraits but oh, no, I left my computer laptop at the school auditorum so lots of phone calls in the canyon to lots of folk only to have Daria, once again, save the day.

* Note: Everyone needs a Daria in their lives. Daria's bring you to train stations when busses break down. They know how to cook Turkeys and sheppard pies. They camp like professionals and know how to resale shop. Please treat yourselves to a hot piping cup of Daria today!)

Sunday:      I'm sick. (Shock)

Some tips for you on this L.A. rainy Sunday:

1. Get yourself a great doc like I went to on Tuesday who can put your T.S. fears to rest. A plan and professional support is beyond helpful. How did I go 5 years without one? (More on this tomorrow when I get my lap top and pics back.)

2. Keep your life relatively non-hectic so that, on occasion you have weeks like I did, you don't have a complete meltdown from stress and find yourself sucking a pacifier in the back of your friend's mommy van. You think your kid tics sometimes? Try a schedule like mine. You'll be twitching your way to the looney bin in no time.

3. Thank your husband if, like mine, he has finally learned to go with the flow. (Example: He fixed many a tears from Pip when he was able to save the day by removing permanent marker from a pumpkin with some sort of car fluid cleaner.) Forgive him if he has an occasional baby fit like on Thursday night. Men can't be perfect like we can be, right? (Ahemmmmm.)

4. Acknowlege this husband with promises of a less hectic holiday season in the
future. After all, nothing says thank you like sex from a hot chick. (The dead woman? She's not included in the bargain. But hey, that's Topanga T! She's never without her makeup, even in death.) 

5. Forgive yourself if you are incapable of following through on #4.

But seriously, enjoy yourself EVERY SINGLE DAY so weeks like mine don't take you
down.

I don't know how people run hard like that every day. If you're one of those, I bow down to you and honor you with every core of my being. I couldn't do it.

It would ruffle every feather in my body.

I'd have a huge therapy bill due to quacking up.

Oh, be quiet. You know you would end up on ProQuack also.

Seriously, shut up. If you're too chicken to write these jokes, don't give me the bird!

And I'm done. I'm feeling really fried right now.

No yolk! Really! I'm not egging you on!

(Luv ya all! More tomorrow!)




5 Comments
 
 
It's been a crazy week for me, hence the lack of posts. I hope all of you are having a great week with your little tickers and doing nice things for yourselves.

In between a few hours of writing and hanging out Thursdays with Topanga T, I've been knee deep in UCLA paperwork for our big tic appointment Nov. 1.

For the praying type, I'd love to ask for your coverage on that appointment. I'm looking specifically for:

* Wisdom to ask the right questions about Stink's focus issues
* Wisdom to ask the right questions about medication vs. sticking with the natural protocol we are on now
* Patience with my husband who is not one to accompany me on big trips like this
        ....and not to forget....
* Good traffic! L.A. has some crazy freeway upgrades going on. A half hour drive can turn into a two hour drive quick.

For the appointment, I had to fill out over 50 pages of surveys regarding Stink's tics and emotional state. I also had to wrangle paperwork from the school. (This does not include additional paperwork I'm dealing with to get him evaluated for an I.E.P.)
Call it God's grace, call it a sudden flash of "I'm over it" but I've felt peace. Rex has really stepped up to the plate in supporting me, also. That's a whole other post. Let's just say that there's a balance between accepting who our spouses are and being sure we ask for what we need. I think I'm reaching that wonderful middle ground. It feels good.

What feels even better is that, in addition to the above paperwork, Stink's personal answers to his own 3 page document on tics and emotional level were right on par with what I'd filled out for him on the parent survey.

He made me laugh so hard at a few of his answers that I simply had to share them with you. (You'll see, too, why he sometimes gets busted in class for being a bit toooooo comfortable with himself.)
 
Like marriage, raising confident kids is a challenge. I want them to be kind to others, love God, and show respect, but I also what them to not take things so seriously. But why make me go on and on? Let 8 year old Stink speak to this topic - in particular, the idea of people making fun of him or riding alone in cars (Clearly the survey was testing his anxiety level. His NON-EXISTENT anxiety.) 

The first question is a bit mumbled. He has to answer yes or no to "I'm afraid other people will think I'm stupid." (Some of you T.S. mamas have this very fear. I did, too, a while back. I don't anymore, though.)

 
Thanks for checking in and supporting our journey. Right back at ya, mamas.
6 Comments
 
 
Keeping this quick as it's been a long Monday. (But a great one. God bless my hubby who took me to lunch, followed by Daria who put it upon her heart to not only shop for my ingredients but come to my home and bake the best darn gluten free Sheppard's pie this side of Los Angeles.)

I have two things to say about the pie and my kid:

1: Re: pie - what would I do without friends like Daria and Ellen? All you T.S. mamas, get yourself a hot piping slice of community today. There's nothing like it.

2. Re: my kid - he did a super job talking to his third grade class! The highlite was he talked about all his tics, how he feels they make him "smart" and how he "loves" them because they are part of who he is.

The down side is he outed his mother. Stink: "You know, everyone has something, and my mama, she gets really nervous sometimes. So I'm just sayin', if you have T.S. and your mother gets crazy, tell her to just CALM DOWN!"

I wish I were kidding. (Though Ellen doesn't. She laughed her butt off.)

In closing, here's to kids who like themselves! (Even if a bit too much...)

Here's to community!

And here's to sheppard's pie!

Add Comment
 
 
Yesterday I spent the day with Topanga T in Malibu. We walked around overpriced knicknack shops, smelled the ocean, did some writing and laughed.

Last night I went walking with two other gals at the mall. We window shopped overpriced stores, smelled the deep fried pretzles, talked about our businesses and laughed.

Both occasions involved Starbuck's Pumpkin Latte's.

Are you sensing a pattern here?

Lest you think I'm a lady of leisure that sits around scarffing bon bons (well, Starbucks) all day and hanging with the girls, I can assure you that I do indeed work. My life consists of a hodge podge of freelance work, Ebay, housecleaning, cooking and raising kids of character. (Oh, that. Besides, $9.00 in overpriced coffee will save me from a $100 therapy bill. No joke.)

Despite my myriad of job opportunities as wife and mama, what I hadn't done since Stink's TS onset four years ago was have fun. It was as if joy couldn't exist as long as there were shoulder shrugs and eye rolls.

"I'll be okay once we figure out his diet," I'd moan. Or "Maybe when the vocals clicking ends I'll be able to click my own heels on the dance floor again."

Shocking as this is going to sound (because I'm sure none of you special needs mamas go through this) my recipe for happiness just didn't work.

And here's why: Happiness is dependent on external circumstances. "When I get that promotion" or
"When my husband changes" or "When that darn throat clear ends..."

TS isn't going away any time soon. I had to hang my hat on something other than happiness or I'd be depressed. And believe me, for a while, I was.

But what TS is teaching me is that my life must be dependent on joy, not happiness. Joy is something we can have even during painful circumstances, because it is not dependent on outside influences to fill us up.  Instead, we can say, "I deserve to smile and have joy in spite of less than happy circumstances."

That really takes the pressure off.

Everyone has a different version of joy. For me, nothing gives me more pleasure than the company of my husband, my family and my fabulous community of artistically minded, brilliant thinking, fearless women friends.

I hope that all of you today will take a moment and give yourself permission to feel some joy even if you haven't cured TS.

I hope you will do something for yourself not because it's going to end tics, get you a raise or make you thinner.

I hope you do something because you were not put on this earth to sulk, cry and moan. You were put here for true, authentic laughter bubbling up from the pit of your soul.
 
If for some reason you aren't there yet, consider TS as the best opportunity you ever had to get there. Because there's a good chance that prior to TS, you didn't have joy. You had happiness. And there's a difference.

Now come on. Go get some. And report back.

* Photo fo my girl and her bff taken at the field trip today. If that's not pure joy, I don't know what is. I love those little rugrats so much.
4 Comments
 
 
Stink is going to talk to his third grade class tomorrow about what it is to have T.S.. It's been a long time coming. He's lucky in many ways:

1. He doesn't mind his tics at all, so he's comfortable talking about them.

2. He's not teased about them at all. "No one ever mentions them" his teacher swears.

3. My dear friend, Ellen, is going to stand next to him and give a talk about living with disability.

In Ellen's case, "stand" is a relative word, as she's been in a wheel chair for over 30 years due to an auto accident that snapped her spine.

Her "quad" status didn't keep her from getting a Masters degree and teaching at our local university.

It didn't keep her from marrying a great guy and birthing the beautiful Zoe, one of Stink's dearest friends.

It didn't keep her from being the first disabled woman to do a full nude spread in Playboy twenty five years ago.

And perhaps, most lucky for me, it doesn't keep her from having myself and about five other gals over to her house every Friday night for a communal Whine and Wine.

I love my son.

I love my friend Ellen.

I love my family and my community who keep me strong even when I'm ready to keel over from exhaustion and fear. (Thank God for Fridays!)

And I love that we live in a world where different is the new normal.

* Picture: One of my favorite photos of Ellen. I tease her constantly that she can never seem to do a photo shoot without getting naked. Um, ya'll won't ever find that true of me!

Your Kick in the Pants: What did you do for yourself today to take your mind off of tics? I hung out in Malibu with the ever fabulous Topanga T and her two puppies. Nothing says happiness like writing, a bull dog and Pumpkin spice latte.
1 Comment
 
 
I'm short on fuses and short on posts this week. I guess you could say I'm feeling a bit defeated.

I'm tired.

It's been a loooooong two weeks.

First we had the monumental "No D.S." conversation.

Then I had my classic second guessing of said conversation.

Then we had our big SST at school. Standing for Student Success Team, the Vice Principal, Rex, Stink's teacher and myself all gathered together to discuss Stink's academic career. (If only I'd have a trifecta gathered to discuss my career I'd be a millionaire, but I digress...)

After the obligatory "Stink is so kind" and "He's such an out of the box thinker" I was slammed with the whole "Let's get the whole I.E.P. process started."

Standing for Individual Education Plan, this means Stink will get some more one-on-one attention in regards to his focus issues.

What kind of attention? What does this mean? Oh, no worries. I had another meeting two days later with someone from our local university who is an expert on I.E.P.'s. She gave me a book about a million pages long which states all my rights as a parent and about one thousand free resources we can target to support Stink.

Of course, there is no point in going crazy with intake appointments for educational art therapy classes or one-on-one counseling since our big UCLA appointment with a T.S. specialist is in two weeks. Why not just see what the Big Doc says first?

Which sounds awesome. But meanwhile, the I.E.P. paperwork still has to get done. I had to send the school secretary a letter stating "My son might have a learning disability and I'd like to get him evaluated for an I.E.P."

I had two issues with this letter and its verbiage:
 
1. Referring to my super smart kid as having a potential "learning disability" was a hard pill to swallow. Granted, having focus issues perhaps is just the stem on some very deep roots of other issues that have not yet been diagnosed like "auditory perception" problems or "A.D.H.D." or maybe even some kind of on the spectrum deal that I hadn't ever thought of up to this point.

2. My other problem with sending this letter is that, well, it's really admitting that there's a problem.
Oh, sure, I write this blog. I am writing my book on T.S.. But honestly, I thought I nailed this whole T.S. thing. I thought my diet and good parenting and love and support were enough.

And, well, it isn't.

And while in my head I know that whatever is going on with Stink we are on top of it early, in my heart it feels like failure.

I couldn't cure this. I couldn't fix T.S. or any other of my son's life challenges.

To this last statement, I'm quite certain that God is smiling down at his flailing daughter.  He's likely sending his love and support and heavenly embraces. And if He were to appear in my morning cup of Yuban and respond to my inability to fix my kids' T.S. and accompanying focus issues, he'd respond with a resounding, "Duh."

That's all I have for today.

* Photo of Stink pulling his sister and their friend up a hill, without snow, in Big Bear. A lot of work for an uncertain reward, but they ended up having a blast. I should take note.

3 Comments
 
 
It's easy, especially at the beginning of a TS journey, to want to fix everything at once. You've researched on the internet, you're freaked out and you want the tics to STOP. NOW.

Some of the thoughts consuming your day might be:

* Do we need to go gluten free?
* Do we need to see a holistic doctor?
* Will fish oil help my kid focus?
* Is my kid nervous because it's typical school jitters or does he have OCD induced anxiety?
* What kind of supplement will best knock out the eye twitch?
* Will my kid be teased?

My posts will focus on some of these topics as the weeks progress, but five years into this journey, I am more comfortable with an all around approach. I do the best I can with amazing diets, doctors and open communication, but I also know that my kid is going to tic sometimes. 

These days, the focus issues are more of a concern than the tics. Like his twitches, there's a wax and waning to treatment. I have to, as my own therapist reminds me, "trust the process."

Part of "trusting" the process is talking to other people and staying open to life. I do this on my blog, through the book I'm writing, through talking to family, friends and often just random cashiers who look a bit forlorn.

Me: "Having a rough day?"
Cashier: "As a matter of fact, yes."
Me: "I just got back from a school meeting for my kid. I get rough days."

And suddenly the floodgates are open for this world weary cashier as she lights up and begins rambling about her own parenting concerns, her aging grandmother, her medical bills and her parrot who just started bleeping the f-word. 

I mention that perhaps the parrot has Tourettes. She laughs. I then use this time to inform her that less than 10% of people with TS curse. "That particular portion of the condition is called coprolalia and no, my kid doesn't do it!" 

Now that's what you call working with your strengths and educating people about T.S.. Some call me obsessed. I call it education. All in a day's work.

To all you worried parents out there, take my therapist's advice and trust the process. It's going to be okay. I promise.

I'm off to a sewing circle. Connecting with other mamas is something I do daily. It's been a real life saver. I hope you all take time out to do the same!
Add Comment