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Sadness and Wonder
It’s been quite a few interesting days since my last post. Sadness Tim was discharged from the hospital after a 6 day stay with an increase in his Latuda. He was a bit withdrawn but seemed to be ok until a week later, when he had a violent outburst centered on my and Tom’s trying…
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Relationships and Unwanted Guests
I have two relationships with my son. One is the “normal,” mother and son relationship. That’s the one where we discuss what happened at school, whether 10 cups of popcorn is an appropriate after school snack, and what he wants for his birthday. That’s the relationship where he hugs me goodnight and we giggle after…
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Gus Deeds, 60 Minutes, and the Why of It All
Did you see Senator Creigh Deeds on 60 Minutes last night? If you didn’t, stop reading and watch it, below, before you read on. Such a tragic story, and such a damning and pointed message at society: Gus was a great kid. He was a perfect son. It’s clear the system failed. It’s clear that…
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Kelly
Kelly has been described by the defense team with several labels. Homeless. Schizophrenic. Vagrant. Nuisance. Not once did they call him a man. Never did they refer to him as a human being. The verdict came back so quickly. I thought of the OJ Simpson trial but pushed the thought out of my head. A…
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The Final Word on the Subject
The Girl has always wanted a sister. With two older brothers and paralyzing shyness, she had never been able to make many close friends that understood what it is like to grow up girl. So when the bonus kid came into our lives and our home, she was happy to have a sister figure in…
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Done
pre·co·cious priˈkōSHəs/ adjective 1. (of a child) having developed certain abilities or proclivities at an earlier age than usual. fac·ti·tious fakˈtiSHəs/ adjective 1. artificially created or developed. “a largely factitious national identity” synonyms: bogus, fake, specious, false, counterfeit, fraudulent trust trəst/ noun 1. firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of…
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Fail
I’m failing in spectacular fashion. Our bonus kid has been struggling with learning how to be part of a family without falling into her old pattern of alienating everyone around her before they can disappoint or hurt her. She vacillates between needing intense, toddler-like levels of affection to openly despising every word anyone over the…
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Suck It Up, Buttercup
Have you met my friend Adrienne? Not only is she smart, talented, beautiful, and a great mom, she’s also an amazing writer who was honored at this year’s BlogHer as a Voice of the Year. She’s also, very often, the voice in my head that keeps me from saying stupid shit out loud to people…
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Self-Care and Guilt – HealthyPlace.com Guest Post
Last Saturday I spent the afternoon making greeting cards. I’m not particularly crafty, but this is a hobby my mom got me into years ago and I enjoy the creativity of making up my own designs combined with the practicality of creating something I need anyway. I have a little spot in the basement where…
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What I Learned at Lollapalooza
Yesterday, I took Tim to his first concert. I chose Day Three of Lollapalooza for a few reasons: It’s outdoors It has lots of different things to do other than watch bands, and lots of space to do them in The headliner was a band we both wanted to see I was fearful, I admit…