90 Days, 90 Thoughts about Parenting Complex Children

Day 1

 It has now been nearly 27 years since we began parenting our medically complex daughter Becca. 19 years since we took the plunge into placement, adoption and parenting our large sibling group of 5 from the foster care system with their alphabet soup of diagnoses and behaviors. Now nearly 5 years since we began again, using the skills we learned with all our complex children with the arrival of our twelfth blessing McKellan who we are using our hard learned knowledge gleaned from the years parenting the our extraordinary children.

Today I talked with a very good friend and veteran warrior parent as she launched her 90 day campaign to help children, adults, and families living with FASD and all the little d's. I had been thinking about writing again and time and life just kept getting into the way. Sometimes one has to make the time and just like when I began writing my long procrastinated memoire, a gentle nudge from the heavens would inspire me to get moving. I learned to listen to the whispers, before God hits me with a 2x4 or a steel beam. It is much easier to "JUST DO IT".

My years parenting my tribe taught me many lessons and here it is so many years later and families are still struggling with finding help, resources and hope. In 2003 I asked a high power friend in the Mental Health field, "Where is the evidence based practice in parenting traumatized, genetically loaded and prenatally exposed children?"  He told me that the parents in the trenches are blazing the trail and what we learn today will take an average of 15 years to begin to come into practice.  It is now 13 years later it is beginning to move forward. But there is still so much to do.

I have been busy for the last three years, co-moderating and teaching on Parenting FASD Kids with my good friend Terry.  Almost 3,000 strong we are supporting, sharing and empowering each other to walk the walk. Armed with the knowledge gained from my journey and the parents I walk with, it is time to write, time to teach and time to share our knowledge to better the outcomes for our Complex Children.  We cannot afford not do.

So today I join the FASD is REAL campaign and begin my 90 Day Challenge of writing and launching Parenting Complex Children and the Little D's.

Anny