chloedancer
New Member
I want to start by saying bless you for what you are doing. because of you and your family some of that childs potential will be regained. I can empathize because I was there once, and not only was I struggling to deal with a traumatized child, I was holding resentment. It sounds ugly and bad, but it wasnt something I could control. A wonderful woman told me "Your daughter is trying to push you away because she is bonding with you. Everytime she thinks she cares about you, she fears you will leave or hurt her. She controls that by making you leave now." It helped me to keep that in mind. Second, we worked with a wonderful attachment therapist. But...they are not all wonderful.Do a lot of research, and ensure that her methods are research based. We also utilized Rhythm therapy, tapping, EMDR, and medication management for sleep. Take care of yourself. Get rest, and take time away when you can. You have a full plate and you need your strength and patience to handle it. The Boy who was Raised as a Dog was one book that really helped me to understand what I was working with. And let me leave you with hope, my daughter who urinated on clean laundry, fecal smeared, broke my finger, and seemed to always be angry is now an Honor Roll student. She just returned from a week long camp where she was recognized for citizenship. She won our counties speech competition this year with a speech on Why Foster Parents make a Difference, that still moves me tears when I think of it. Does she still "shut down?" Sometimes, and the PTSD still lingers in several ways, all though it is amazingly better. But...we are better. In fact, we are better than that. We are doing well.
