Monday, February 22, 2010

The common mistake made riding mental illness roller coasters, and why I don't do it anymore...

When parenting the chronically mentally ill, one is, in many ways, a passenger on a roller coaster. It's full of highs and lows, twists and turns, scary, and fun moments. It is frightening and exiherating depending on where you are at any given time. Over and over again, you hop on, for one reason or another, and each time, you go up, down, and sideways.
One of the mistakes I used to make, was to get caught up in the twist of the time. I would get so excited about the travel upward, that I forgot in only moments I would be dropping sharply down. In the same token, I would become so afraid on the drop, forgot the rise was coming, and keep my eyes closed, missing the joy of moving upward.
The problem with that riding that way, is that the fluctions will drive you nuts. If you go moment to moment and forget about the past cycles of the ride, it will always own you. It will control you and your emotions. Life will pass you by while you are busy riding.
But alas my sweet parent friends, if you take notice of each twist and turn, and keep track of them, you are ready. If you look at each change as a part of the ride, you can make the ride yours. You can sail down frightening hills knowing the in moments you will be wisked upward. You can twist upside down and know your feet will soon hit the ground. You are prepared.
Don't get lost in the moments. Learn them.

7 comments:

  1. I hate roller coasters!

    Mary in TX

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  2. Honey I do too, or rather I think I do, but wow how I keep finding myself on them, so I'm thinking that maybe I like the ride....

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  3. LOL! Isn't that the truth. I avoid roller coasters in real life, but I probably am guilty of setting up things so I'm always on the ride of my life.

    Mary

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  4. haha, I think that for me, when you were raised in chaos, it is what makes sense to you. It is what I am comfortable in. I am good at managing it. My crazy, not literally lol makes me the perfect mother for Jaylin.

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  5. Oh yea, God knew what he was doing when he gave me my two. I was talking today about the fact that my mom remarried when I was 13 and my sister was 11. My kids came to me at age 11 and 13, coincidence?! Probably not.

    I understand them better because of my childhood.

    Mary

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  6. I'm certain you are! And we'd have to be a little crazy to volunteer for our jobs haha! I love it though, it just gets hilarious sometimes when I am trying to talk about my life with Jaylin and someone just gets this most awful look on their face ...ummmm your child did what???

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  7. This has been my marriage too. I've come to see that ADHD can have a lot of the same components as RAD. For me it seems like once I figure a pattern out, they switch it. Maybe I never really figured the pattern out - lol.

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