Category: Parenting
-
Why I #Homeschool
I am not a cookie and bread-baking homeschooler, nor am I homeschooling for religious reasons. In fact, in spite of the fact that I have twice attended a multi-denominational Christian seminary, I remain a skeptical and questioning believer. No, I’m just a mom, trying her best, to find the right fit for her kid. Then,…
-
Online High School
My son struggles with multiple health issues: migraines, cyclic vomiting, weak immune system, allergies, eczema, depression, and anxiety. The newly defined spectrum syndrome ALPIM (Anxiety-Laxity-Pain-Immune-Mood) describes his constellation of symptoms, but does not yet give us answers as to how to cure or treat the underlying genetic disorder. Monday, August 31st would have been my…
-
Parenting My Teen
So, I decided to change psychotherapists. Not an easy decision for me to make. Except during the nine months we lived in Eugene and the two years we lived in the Mojave Desert, I’ve seen the same psychologist since my son was four. As my son turns fifteen next week, that’s a pretty long-term therapeutic…
-
Still Exhausted, But Relaxing
Still exhausted, but on vacation in Waldport on the Central Oregon Coast. When we arrived in Portland, before we drove out to the coast, we stopped at the Willamette National Cemetery where my brother-in-law is buried. The cemetery is beautiful, surrounded by trees with a view of the Cascade mountains in the distance. We said…
-
Too Tired to Write
Living with mental illness while parenting a child with chronic health issues is a balancing act. When my son was very young, I tried working as well, and ended up hospitalized. I could only juggle so many roles. Recently I’ve been exhausted. Too involved in attending to my son’s health and educational needs to have any…