I Am SO Proud Of You!

Well, I mentioned several months ago that we were learning how to parent a child with anxieties.  I mentioned how we have good days and bad days; good weeks and bad weeks; as well as good months and bad months; because it all just depends... depends on her and on life.  We had a couple of good months, but we have had a few bad spells with in the last few weeks; and I thought that I would just write a quick blurb about our progress.

Luckily, she hasn't had too many episodes, but she has had a few just the same.  Besides one time when Scot and I were not exactly on the same page with how to deal with her during one of her episodes, we have been a good team for the most part as we have helped her through some of her anxiety attacks.  Her teacher has been awesome as well!  We have set up a system and it is working well considering everything! 

The last few attacks have had a variety of triggers, ranging anywhere from excitement over various birthday parties (which she did have quite a few that she attended with in the last few weeks); excitement about two separate field trips; a cold and a sore throat for which she admitted to me that she was afraid of coming down with pneumonia; to missing some school days; anxious about school work; and anxious tears and minor attack over a loose tooth.  Yes, you read that correctly.  We had some major drama beyond the normal realm of tooth drama over a loose tooth that in deed caused her to have a great deal of panic one evening that carried on to the next day. 

When she is anxious about something regarding school, she seems to resort back to fears about the cafeteria.  Over the last few episodes, Scot and I are believing that we are gaining some insight to the whole cafeteria meltdown, which she can have at least once a month.  We are starting to believe that when she is anxious about something else and she is headed off to school, she uses her cafeteria fears as her go to place to relay to us about an anxiety.  Only time will tell Scot and myself if our latest assumption is correct, because so often times these epsiodes are brought on by irrational thoughts and sometimes she refuses to share.

Anyways, with that said, as we all have been learning how to deal and to overcome, she is also realizing things too and I give her recognition for those times.  On one particular day after she had experienced two episodes in one week, with one of those times being pretty bad that morning, I told her that she needed to find a way to push through all the fears and emotions to get through the day.  She made it to school that morning as I was home wondering and worrying if the phone was going to ring with her school nurse or teacher being at the other end of the phone call at any given point of the day, especially when I knew that my little girl was also excited and nervous about some fun that she was going to have at a slumber party that evening.  Each hour went by with out a phone call.

Finally, the end of the school day had come, and me and the boys were in the school pick-up line waiting for the girls to come to the van.  With in a few minutes, Sky Baby and Crazy Paisy came over to the van and climbed in.  Both girls were smiling.  And the one daughter who I had been most concerned about that day proceeded to say to me, "I did what you said Mom.  I pushed myself."

For which I replied, "I am SO proud of you!"

And then I saw her face light up with pride... And she deserved that moment!