*photo by Elaine A. Russell I feel like there are great changes that are going to be happening this year.
It feels like there is great movement rumbling about.
One of the big changes that I have not talked about on my post... before now... is about my daughter. I hesitated for a long time, as it is a personal issue... and I didn't want anything to hurt her... or add to her problems in any way. However, she has given me permission to talk about it... and so I will share a little.
My daughter is really, really smart... and really, really creative ( and that's not just me as a mom talking ). She is an incredible artist, and has sold her artwork since she was 12.
She has always had some OCD tendancies... like so many people in my family. After graduating from home school last year however... things exacerbated. I still don't know what the triggers were... and perhaps never will. But... the behaviours manifested most obviously with her diet. She lost about 80lbs in a year... and went on a strict diet. She was being very restrictive on the amounts of food she ate... her fat consumption was nill... and her carbs and protein consumption was very low. Additionally, she had increased her daily amount of exercise. And there were/are other behaviours as well...
Unfortunately, alot of this was going on while I was traveling back and forth to PA... and I was not around to be as supportive (or even aware) as I could've/ should've been. I take alot of responsibility for that. And I feel awful. On the other hand, she is an adult... and there is only so much you can do for someone without infringing on their sense of self and independence. She never, fortunately, got to a critical point health-wise, or needed hospitalization... although it was pretty darn sketchy at times.
Having been home now since the end of October, she and I have been able to grow much closer... and I feel like things are settling down a bit with her OCD behaviours... and getting them more within her comfort level of control. I love her beyond measure. I am so very proud of who she is and how she has grown and matured into this lovely woman...
I felt compelled to write about it, in the hopes that it will open the doors of communication to someone else who may be having a similar issue. Control is a hard thing. Not enough is dangerous... so is too much. Like so many things in life... we strive for a balance...
This is not the end of the story... as I feel like (as with so many health issues)... this is an ongoing thing that she will be facing each and every day. However, I am more than confident that she is up for the task...
