Diagnosis Received!

Yesterday was a long day. I worked until 8:00pm and then went straight to an appt at Chases’s Neuropsychologist.

And the apt was not  even about Chase..it was about me.

I had two objectives for this meeting:

1-to find out if I myself am a bit crazy (ok maybe not crazy but over anxious and on the compulsive side)

2-To find out if my son’s doctor is an over prescriber of drugs (aka would he give me an anti-anxiety medication if I shed a few tears and talk about my racing mind on his couch)?

So here is what I got: no medication, a bit of sympathy and suggestions to breathe deeper, do some yoga and go to a meditation course.

Hooray for him not be an over perscriber! Happy for my son as now I feel that if he prescribed a med for him it must be justified!

Sucks: for me no medication to fix my boo boo. Horray we are starting both a meditation and yoga course that I manage at my company. I love my companyJ

But this session got me to thinking about why lately my mind is racing in the way it is. The Psychologist seemed to have a lot of thoughts on this.

Aka: “Tarina-YOU ARE IN BY FAR THE HARDEST TIME OF YOUR LIFE WITH TWEENS AND TEENS! Of course your mind will be racing, and your 400 lists day are a bit compulsive but from what I can see very productive and have worked for you!

So below a little analysis of what has been different in the last couple of years. Sister Savvy and I had a good conversation about this the other day.

Before: Kids needing help with dictees and reading the words they put in front of you

Now: “Helping” with algebra that makes you feel like a stupid and useless idiot of a parent nightly

Before: Kid has an issue call all your girlfriends and mother to get advice, talk to your husband.

Now: Talk to the actual kid about his issues night after night and try to make him see the light (then talk to your girlfriends, mom and husband over and over and over again as the issues never seem to go away)

Before: all 3 kids either get dropped of an picked up from daycare at your convenience. Or take a little school bus to school and stay at service de garde until you are good and ready to get to go get them.

Now: all kids schedules everyday are different. One day 5am ski trip at school, one tobogganing trip 8am and one final exam at 1pm. Get them a bus pass, pray a lot for them, text them a lot, and lock your liquor cabinets as their friends are at your house potentially while you are at work 

Before: tuck in kids at 9:00pm on weekends and have an a bit of an evening with your spouse

Now: have the kids take over the TV room and watch Dumb and Dumber while taking up all the space on the couch and wake you up (on the floor) at 11:30pm to tuck them in

Before: drop the three kids off at 1-3pm for a little ski lesson at the mountain

Now: go to the ski mountain 5 times a day and drop and pick up for racess, instructor programs, sleepovers with ski friends, etc…Live at the ski mountain. Have kids stuck alone on chairlifts and be saved by fireman. (Ps I wish I could be stuck and saved by firemen!!!)

 Before: Put a kid on a time- out on the stairs

Now: Threaten to put a kid in juvenile detention center

 Before: Fail a test and don’t get a sticker

Mow: Fail a test and don’t get into CEGEP

Before: Buy a few quarts of milk a week and put a little chocolate powder in it to get them to drink it.

Now: Pay for 15 double quarts of milk a week and take out a second mortgage

Before: Pay for a little ballet class at school from your pocket money

Now: Dip into your Education funds to support hockey, ski, surf and every other sport offered under the sun at school that is mandated

Before: Worry that your child’s car seat may be getting a bit small

Now: Worrying that your child could actually drive a car in 9 months from now

Before: “Mommy I lost my lunchbox at school”

Now: “Mommy I feel like I am losing my mind”! “PS I also lost one of my new skis at school”.

And the list goes on and on and on…

No wonder my mind is racing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Psychologist assures me that I am just not good with transition and that I will get used to this all very quickly with some breathing, yoga and meditation of course)

(He also secretly told me to start drinking a glass of wine at night..ssshhhh)

PS-at the end he told me that I made him laugh harder than he has in a long time and that I was really quite sweet and not crazy at allJ That was a lift in itself.