Today we dodged a huge legal bullet. A few weeks ago, my son was arrested for third degree aggravated assault (against a police officer) and resisting arrest – all because he refused to leave my home after he had another one of his emotional rants towards me. I had called the police that night to […]
I rode on a horse for the first time in my life the other day. I wanted to do it for several reasons – I’ve never really been around animals much, I wanted to do something new and different, and I wanted to understand the connection between the human spirit and that of a horse’s. […]
When it comes to parenting a child with mental health issues, I think I’ve been through it all. Multiple school expulsions, stigmas about me & my son, family estrangement, psychiatric evaluations, court battles with an incorrigible & non-existent co-parent, emergency room visits, in-patient psychiatric hospitalizations, anxiety-inducing medical bills (there will be a blog about that), […]
Two days ago, I couldn’t take it anymore. I was listening to music that, for whatever reason, triggered a reaction from my son, starting up an argument. For those who follow my blog, you know that my son is diagnosed with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and mood disorder – disruptive mood dysregulation disorder to be […]
In my Tips For Parenting Oppositional Defiant Disorder – part 2, I talked about the skills (awareness, patience) critical to managing and surviving extremely trying interactions with someone who is deeply & firmly oppositional. For anyone who is raising a child diagnosed with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) or any severe behavioral issue, you know the […]
Not everyone has the will power to handle people who are obstinate and rigid. My son’s father is one of them. Interestingly, he too is an incredibly rigid person. For the last nearly three years, he has relinquished all of his parental responsibilities and rights for a number of reasons; one of which is the […]
I have had many challenging moments raising my son through his emotional and mental issues. As infuriating and distressing as these episodes have been, they aren’t nearly as difficult as that of child abandonment. Our circumstances are extremely complicated. To try to explain it in one blog would not do justice to depict how messy […]
My teenage son suffers not only from ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and mood disorder but also from the emotional turmoil of parent abandonment, racial and identity issues, anger and self-loathing. In his fits of anger, my son has called me every name in the book. He has destroyed several of my belongings. He has put […]
Christmas is about a week away and while many of us consider this time of year joyful and filled with cheer and happiness, this particular holiday is a very poignant one for me. Christmas 2017 was a horrible day for me and my son. We spent most of it in a hospital psychiatric unit. I […]
What I am about to say may unsettle many but it is my truth. There’s no point in pretending it isn’t real or hiding it. My experience with parent/motherhood has been mostly unpleasant and unhappy. In fact, I have disliked most of it so much so that I don’t ever want to have more children. […]
You're Not A Bad Parent 