Saturday, October 30, 2010

Denial and other parenting tactics

Where to begin?

Daughter #2 (and kid #4) was adopted through foster-care. She was itty-bitty when she came to us and thus avoided much of the trauma her biological sisters endured in their home of origin. My brown-eyed girl is an absolute doll; everywhere we go I get random strangers commenting on her general cuteness. And, let's be honest here, the girl is SUPER cute. She is also bright, maybe even very bright. So I have this darling and intelligent kid and it's easy to assume everything is normal. Oh, there are indicators that something is amiss, but they are easily overlooked, and to the general public they are entirely invisible. Even to our friends and family these "QUIRKS" are nearly invisible.

Yet...

According to Karyn Purvis (adoption and childhood trauma specialist), and our pediatrician and my daughter's occupational therapist there are almost certainly physiological differences in her brain. These differences can be managed, but they will never go away. Never. They will likely have bigger and bigger implications as she grows and matures.

What's a mom supposed to do with that? 'Cause the kid looks normal, and she's my daughter and I love her. How do I come to grips with that? How do I tell people who need to know what's really going on and still keep my daughter's story her own. If I told people, would they even believe me? I don't want to give my daughter a label that carries a stigma, but how do I let the world know that not all of the same rules apply to this pretty little brown eyed preschooler?

And, seriously, how do I parent this kid?

SI dysfunction.
Adhd.
Information Processing/Auditory Processing Disorder
Sensory Seeking.
Poor transitioning.
Executive Function Differences.
Causal Relationship Issues
Sleep Disorder
Preconception /Body Awareness Problems


It's an alphabet soup of mumbo jumbo.

If any of you lack wisdom, he should ask God, who give generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to him...James 1:5

Ah God, it's me, I need wisdom. I need a generous heaping helping of it. Because you've called me to mother this precious child, yet I don't know how...

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