Never Put Green M&Ms in Your Pocket on a Hot Day

Dealing with children's mental health issues can be challenging. Most recently, our 5 year old boydecided to push the limits of our parenting abilities by hittint us with a double whammy--cutting himself with a knife and running away on the same day. He chose to run away from the counselor's office so she was obliged to call the police.

Because I knew it was going to be a tough session with the counselor that day (the appointment was between the cutting and running), I picked up some "reward" candy from the dispenser. It was M&Ms. I put them in my pocket for incentive during the session. The culprit candy was still in my pocket when the escaped ensued.

The day was hot--80 plus degrees--in our beautiful, mountainous area. I was pursuing him and he was finally stopped. We sat on the curb with the fire fighters who helped corral him, waiting for the police to arrive. After a brief talk, we headed back to retrieve the other children from the counselor's office.

It was at that time I reached into my pocket to get a tissue and, instead, felt something sticky. It was the green M&M, now permanently attached to the inside of my shorts' pocket. Needless to say, the M&M was lost and B(5) ended up at the "behavioral" hospital for 2.5 weeks. The M&M lesson was, by far, the easiest of the two lessons that day.

To Insanity and Beyond

Just like in Toy Story, some things can fall apart around our house. Dealing with severe reactive attachment disorder in A(6) causes falling apart on a daily basis. Feed into the behavior and she escalates. Ignore the behavior and she escalates. No easy answer! Our team of experts continues to be stumped by how stubborn a 6 year old can be. She is cute and charming around almost every one else, but when Mom walks in, "Kablam!" She flies apart hitting anything in the debris trail. It takes it's toll on the whole family.
Tonight, however, we left the 4 kiddos with two very patient teens and spent 3 hours away from the house. That was enough time to unwind and, perhaps, remember why we are doing what we do. It was a time to recover some sanity and talk about something other than psychiatrists, psychologists, RAD, bipolar, IEPs, etc. It was a time to refuel the brain and soul. It was a time that was irreplaceable and we may have to do it again, just as soon as the sitters recover!

One Bipolar, Two Bipolar, Three Bipolar, Four

Imagine a child who laughs ferociously one minute and is hitting you and screaming the next. Imagine that for ten weeks in a row, each and every day. Imagine the medication not working as you hoped, and yet, each day you pray that today is the day the cycle breaks. Now times that by three and you have our life.
Life with one bipolar child is unpredictable and embarrassing. Now, with two others, I am finding the single bipolar life a vacation. One might ask what are the odds of three or four children in one family being bipolar. Well, our psychologist assures me it is passed through the dad and the environment and past care influence how and when it comes out.
The first diagnosed was B(4). He was given ADD meds and that turned on the mania. T(11) was being weaned off his antianxiety and hitting puberty and that set him off. A(6) is more depression and aggression and has been that way for a while.
It is typical for boys to be more manic and girls more depressed. It is typical for parents to wear out with only one bipolar child. I can tell you that after 10 weeks of T(11) being manic and the others following, we are wrung out and ready for a break. Hopefully we can find someone or, better yet, four someones to ease the burden until stability sets in.