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7 Fun Baby Shower Games
If you are the hostess for an upcoming baby shower, here are some fun and easy baby shower games that you can have your guests play. 1. Baby Picture Guessing Game: Have all the shower attendees bring a baby picture. Display them on a large poster and ...
The Pathophysiology of Tetanus
Tetanus is an acute, often fatal disease caused by an exotoxin produced in a wound by Clostridium tetani. Clostridium tetani is a gram-positive, nonencapsulated, motile, obligatively anaerobic bacillus. It exists in vegetative and sporulated forms. Spores ...
What To Consider Before Having A Tummy Tuck?
A tummy tuck or abdominoplasty medically falls under thecategory of major invasive surgery so the first thing youneed to consider before you have the operation is whetheror not you are willing to take the risk. The bestcandidates for this operation are ...
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As Deborah got older the behavior continued but was somewhat manageable, with very creative parenting techniques and close monitoring. By third grade she was diagnosed with ADHD and medicated. This helped somewhat but I still sensed that something wasn't right. A second opinion showed four additional diagnoses of OCD, ODD, depression and anxiety. Additional medication was helpful for the behavior but there were always side effects. School was becoming a challenge. Grades were inconsistent and Deborah continued to show no interest. Things seemed to hold steady for a few years.
Then, August 2000, the situation took a turn for the worst. Deborah, then 14 years old, was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder. Also known as manic depression, this mental illness is characterized by drastic mood swings. The bipolar, along with the other disorders completely changed my daughter into someone that, at times, I hardly knew. When we were first told of the diagnosis, I was somewhat relieved that there was a reason for the extreme and bizarre behavior we were witnessing. However, my life became an emotional rollercoster.
As a mother, I immediately felt that if I tried hard enough I could "save" my daughter from this awful illness. I figured that if I tried hard enough I could "fix" everything so that her life would be "normal" and she wouldn't have to suffer. Most of what I was doing had been very good for myself and the rest of my family. However, Deborah was in denial and wouldn't accept any of the help that I offered her. That was the painful part because as a mother, I wanted to reach out and protect her.
I began a crusade of educating myself, joining parent advocacy groups, going to conferences, reading books, collecting information, networking with other parents, networking with the school, and going to counseling. I immediately went on Family Medical Leave from work and began working a reduced schedule so that I could closely monitor Deborah until she was stabilized. I still feel that all of these things were very positive. However, I tried to push all of this on my daughter and expected her to react positively to my assistance. She didn't, she felt controlled and smothered and lashed out even more. This was so painful for me because I wanted so desperately to protect her. I slowly realized that Deborah must want to be helped – nothing could be pushed on her.
Deborah was not doing well in school and there were so many options available to help her succeed. Again, she was not receptive to anyone's help and out- patient counseling was not effective. I was constantly fighting the urge to push my knowledge and ideas on her. Because, after all, "mother knows best". Instead I tried to be subtle with her – then I would retreat to my bedroom and cry. I struggled between elation – when she was in a good mood, anger - when she wouldn't speak to me, and hate – when she was swearing at me.
I continued to network and educate myself, remembering to do it for myself and not push it on my daughter. I tried to take care of myself and to not give up my whole life because of this illness. I slowly recognized the positive things about this situation. Like, how it caused me to reprioritize my life and take a stand for what I believed in. I did a lot of soul searching and made some personal decisions that I had been putting off. All of this placed me way outside of my comfort zone and it wasn't a good feeling. But, like life itself, it's a process. It's personal growth.
I actually must thank the Lord for this whole situation because it has helped me in so many ways. Things are so much clearer to me now and my path is much more obvious. I am not the one with the illness but I am going through a personal growth so astounding that I wouldn't trade the experience for anything in the world. My heart aches for Deborah and each tear I cry represents my love for her. I would like to share my experience with her, make her aware of how I feel and what I'm going through. However, she's not ready to hear it. I would love to see her go through a similar growth. Maybe she is, in her own way. Or maybe she'll look back years from now and realize that she gained something from all this. I know my life will be painful for awhile but I will continue to survive. I pray that all the pain will be worth the gain.
© 2001 By Monique Rider
About the Author
Monique Rider is a Life Coach and Personal Trainer. She owns Trinity Coaching Services, a company that offers fitness training and personal growth services to clients worldwide. To learn more about Monique please visit her website: http://home.talkcity.com/workoutpl/trinitycoachingservices/ or email her at: Monique_Rider@msn.com
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 Teen pregnancy in the spotlight - Newsday
Since vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin revealed that her teenage daughter Bristol is going to have a baby, the electoral race has put a spotlight on teen pregnancy. But for many young people across the country, the story is nothing new. Our ...
Placebo Acupuncture Is Associated With Higher Pregnancy Rate After IVF ... - Science Daily
ScienceDaily (Nov. 13, 2008) — A study comparing the effects of real and placebo acupuncture on pregnancy rates during assisted reproduction has found that, surprisingly, placebo acupuncture was associated with a significantly higher overall ...
Pregnancy pounds predict kids' weight as teens - Reuters
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who gain too much weight during pregnancy may not only have bigger babies, but bigger teenagers as well, a study suggests. Researchers at Harvard Medical School found that among nearly 12,000 children and teenagers ...
Pregnancy Diet May Predict Obesity - CBS42.com
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Mothers who eat a high-fat diet during pregnancy may increase the likelihood of their child being overweight. Researchers at Rockefeller University in New York discovered that rats that were given a high-fat diet during ...
Placebo acupuncture associated with higher pregnancy rate - In the News
Placebo acupuncture has been found to be associated with a significantly higher pregnancy rate than real acupuncture during assisted reproduction, experts claim. In a study published in the medical journal Human Reproduction today, researchers looked ...
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