This Isn't About Advice

THEN:

I'm the kind of person who researches and reads ~ I always have. My mom was a teacher and when I asked a question, more often than not she pointed me towards the dictionary or our set of encyclopedias (will our kids even know what those are???) and said "look it up". Looking back I realize she probably did it because I would get lost in the pages for hours.

IN THE MIDDLE:

When our daughter was 2 1/2 our pediatrician suggested a behavior specialist. We were thankful that someone confirmed our fears that we were not dealing with typical toddler issues and seriously embarrassed that two professionals that could manage people, multi-million dollar projects and considered themselves to be great with kids couldn't manage the terrible-twos?

We quickly learned it wasn't the terrible twos and we were in for some serious years ahead. Our dear sweet first child is considered "spirited" and "difficult". They weren't labels the therapist put on her ~ they were resource books she guided us to.

NOW:

Two years later, we are still struggling, bewildered, exhausted, frustrated. Where is the quick fix? Every once in a while I look around for blogs or support groups for other moms who understand this day to day struggle. There isn't much out there. I read and I read and I find comfort when I find people who hold a membership to this club.

I wanted to start this blog as a cathartic exercise for me to talk about what really goes on here. If it wasn't my life, the stories are actually pretty funny.

This isn't a place for advice on raising your spirited / difficult child ~ hopefully it will make you laugh and realize you aren't alone.