I'm Almost Afraid to Say it Out Loud

On_Call

New Member
But, difficult child is having a good summer. Dare I say it - even a great summer.

Of course, we've had our little tussles, but nothing, NOTHING compared to times gone by.

We were so afraid when he came off lithium and then seroquel - were braced and buckled in for some major bumps - but none came. He has now been on just the welbutrin for about 2 months and things are really going well for him.

He is rational and even introspective at times. Of course, he still argues - and perseverates - and still has quirks and fears and moments of sheer inappropriateness, but no outburst to speak of in quite some time. We are even seeing some improvement on the negativity (I've employed some of your suggestions in that department - thank you very much.)

It's actually a bit surreal. Let's hope that by discussing it out loud I haven't changed the comsic makeup of our current course!!
 

Marguerite

Active Member
That is really good news, but as the parent of similar kids, I have a possible explanation - there is no school for him at the moment.
difficult child 3 loved going to school, but it made him feel sick. It took a long time for him to realise that it was SCHOOL that made him sick. But even without the nausea issues, we had HUGE behavioural problems at school even when he was trying to behave, trying to hold it together and we had done everything we could to equip him to cope.
On holidays everything would go well. I could trust his behaviour, he was polite to all, in public people would disbelieve that there was anything wrong. But when school would go back we got the calls from the school again. And he would come home from school angry, depressed, raging, and we couldn't do anything with him.

The big test will come when school goes back. I hope I'm wrong.

Marg
 

On_Call

New Member
Marg, you are right - we always have more stability in the summer - our difficult child gets so anxious when going to school. You are absolutely right, but for the past year, difficult child has been so up and down - this past two months has been his most stable in a long time. He is attending the extended school year program over the summer, so he gets up each day and heads off on the bus - but it's nothing like the pressure of the educational school year.

We haven't had any breakthrough moments or anything - it's just that his tolerance is up most of the time - even with easy child little sis - and he has even been able to laugh at himself a bit - and take some teasing - which is very new.

I guess I was just so used to an argument and struggle with him every day about every little thing for so long. This bit of "normality" seems strange, but good! :wink:
 

Wiped Out

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Jamie,
I'm so glad to hear things are going so well! Keeping fingers crossed things continue to go so well. :smile:
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
Way To Go, Jamie!

Wow, two months, far fewer medications... fewer, if any outbursts... Way To Go!

What WERE those suggestions on negativity? I need them, too, for my difficult child. Which thread were they under?
 

EB67

New Member
Jamie-

Congrats on the bout of normalcy. I prepared a long winded reply that went poof! Into cyberspace!

What I wanted to share was that we are also enjoying a very stable, seemingly normal summer. I am cautiously optomistic though and as Marg suggested, I am waiting to see if it carrries over once the academic year begins. Even in these wonderful times, part of me is always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

The shorthand is this: Seb has been off his medication and has been managing is frustration well. He's had unprecidented self control, he's been introspective, empathetic, mature... He even said to me out of the blue the other day, "Mom, I've been thinking. I'm sorry for all the ebarassment I've caused you this year". His peer relations have been good-- he's made new friendships at camp and has avoided situations in which he'd ordinarily lose control. He recognizes people, for example, who set him off and he keeps his distance. This is a FIRST.

I think a lot of growth happens in the summer which is why our kids seem to have progressed. And I think it helps that some of the usual triggers are not presenet (as they are in a classroom setting). I assume though that growth is not always linear-- I know with Seb things have been running in terms of good and bad cycles. Lets just hope that this goood cycle has a nice, long run...
 
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