Mama Matters

  ACT 1: My youngest ended up in the ER, she was walking weird and seemed to be in discomfort. Add in extra fussiness and not wanting to be put down. We figured she landed wrong or fell on her leg, which is common as a wild 18-month-old. After 6+ hours at the local ER, nothing came back on the X-ray or the lab work. We were relived but it was an exhausting night. It is so hard to watch your child get blood drown and all those tests done, necessary to rule out infection but you wish they could poke you instead. And it made me feel extra grateful we have a healthy child. Parents who do multiple visits or long hospital stays, you are warriors! My thoughts are with all of you and hands on your back!  ACT 2: My oldest started VPK the next morning. I decided to miss my 8 AM meeting, 8 AM meetings aren’t easy for me by the way. It’s a quick call usually but nonetheless, it’s a rat race to be available by 8 with 2 kids to drop off etc. My husband and I both took our daughter to pr...

Today I got two updates about family members. Two of which are younger than me and in recovery. One was picked up off the streets and accepted to go into detox, which will then transition to a rehab. This individual is also a parent of two young children.  The other is away finishing rehab and transitioning to a sober living center. I won't go into detail for their respect, and I also don't know all the details.  So, why am I sharing this? Because we all know someone. We all know someone who is an active addict or in active recovery. We all know someone who lost their life to drugs or alcohol. I lost my brother to a heroin overdose.  After hearing these updates today, it had me thinking about my brother and all the people I know affected by addiction.  How did we all get here? That is a loaded question. But I think there are many factors. Trauma- current and/or childhood trauma, environment, genetics, mental health- which that goes deep too. We are starting to crack ...