Unreal…

The room is quite now... It's 4:30 in the afternoon on a Wednesday.  My daughter is asleep on the couch. Exhausted after a day of getting into enough trouble in school to warrant the school calling to ask if I will pick her up & take her home.

I am frustrated as I look at the situation again & realize that the behavior problems have been growing worse in the past week.  The new medication we started increasing a couple weeks ago is probably the issue.  Frustrated as I realize again that the the damage in her brain is severe enough that the medications can't help her like they need to.  And while they help her with some issues, other issues increase.  Frustrated to realize that what I didn't want to admit to myself, (that the med was not working) is no longer avoidable. 

The med isn't working for her.  So we go back to the doctors to try another one. 

I should wake her up.   She probably won't go to bed for me tonight until late.  But, the peace & quite is so nice. 

The IEP meeting we had this morning was encouraging... until I distance myself and realize that we are talking about MY child... MY child who has severe behavior issues that are effecting her learning & the learning of her entire class... MY CHILD...

My child who has brain damage caused by substance abuse during her birth mom's pregnancy with her.  A condition that is 100% preventable... and not curable.

A condition that is affecting 70% of children in the US foster care system.

A condition that 80% of the children who have it are NOT being raised by their biological parents.

A condition that effects her ability to make a friend, be a friend, learn, process the world, comprehend jokes or humor, makes her a social outcast because her peers are afraid of her behaviors...

This is unreal.

Pam