notjusthealthnuts

 Recently we decided to join a community group specific to our ghost daughter.  As time approached for the meeting she began to breathe heavier and her personal space boundary became wider.  She is excited but the nerves were too much.  Everything turned out fine; we had a game plan. This is going to be a great thing for her.  We just have some hurdles.   For the ghosts and ghost children, advocating  is twenty-four hour immersion of tactical decisions and communication.  It's exhausting.  Being a part of a community can help with this and extremely important for mental health and soul health.  We need to this.  There are ways to make connecting smoother and intentionally beneficial on both ends. Pick Fellow Advocates and Be Bold  Family and community can be potentially strong support system.   In specifically advocating for your ghost child with family,  I would start with unloading concerns and expla...

We have been in a steady uphill push for the last few weeks.  The winter break is out temporary finish line and it's a mad dash.  So much is poured into a child with special needs- from testing to doctor visits to therapies to extra work at home to extra work from us. Each experience is unique but "extra" is the common thread.  The "extra" is bearing down on us.   The past two Thursday mornings we have had the pleasure of company in the waiting room.  My fellow waiting room veteran mom and I are ecstatic to let our three year old boys impromptu play-date while getting to converse with an adult.  Yay! Today we dealt with the common thread of  the "others."  We have at least three other children plus some transient bonuses.  Each week therapy is two hours by the time we travel and complete a session.   Two hours is a significant amount of time and we integrate/build in extra time during the week.  That's just therapy.  The...

As our homeschooling continues, the expected ebb and flow of learning has cycled through a few times.  For any child learning it is normal to do a roller coaster of sorts. For Ghost Child- the highs are euphoric and then you plummet with a few plateaus somewhere in there.  Today we have hit all stages from raging tears to victory shouts. It's draining on the both of us.  Especially fighting Red Reign of Terror's fascination with the sink and lust for pouring glue.  I was torn between stopping a flood, teaching, counseling, and preventing sticky situations.  Some sanity points were lost along the way today.  How do we survive this daily?  This: Do what works best for your family.   Balance is key- do what ever works to accomplish what you need to with time to relax- consistently. Get involved and pace yourself.  I read constantly and now joining webinars on my daughter's disorder with a few reputable organizations.  It can suck y...