I’m stretched out in a hammock in my PJ’s. It’s midday and this is the most relaxed I’ve been in ages. I am in the sun in my friend’s garden. I can hear birds and my friend’s whippet coughing up God knows what. Some big fat chooks are going about their chooky business near by. […]
Archive | Managing Emotions
Because I Am Imperfect
I love a song by writer Fred Smith that has a chorus line, “because I am imperfect”. * I think those lines help me when I am not always the Mother I want to be. As the Mum of a young person with chronic pain I have times when I am really there as a […]
The Mother of All Jobs
As mothers we can fall into a pattern of trying to please or appease others. Maybe we learnt this from our mothers. I think this pattern can be especially true for the hard working home based mother. If your child has a complex medical condition your list of people to please might go something like […]
Caring For A Child With Arthritis
It really doesn’t matter if your child has a concern with one joint, several joints or a mix of symptoms that have you dispatched to a rheumatologist. You find yourself going on a journey with your whole family. Your child may have the diagnosed condition but each person in your household is affected by the […]
How Food And Family Help To Cope With Chronic Pain
I’ve been putting off setting up my daughters medication box for a few days. I think the reason I put off focusing on the medications is that while I am doing it I have to really concentrate on each pill, the dose and the regularity. I worry about the effect the medications are having on […]
What Does Coping with Chronic Pain Look Like?
I recently attended a workshop by the psychologist and trauma counselling specialist Michael Tunnicliffe. He said that he is sometimes called to events like bank robberies, mine accidents or shootings where people are shocked and distressed. He told us that usually he is taken to the person showing most outward signs of distress. This person […]
Important Message for Parents of Children With A Chronic Condition
Do you think of the needs of your child before you think about yourself? Do you find it hard to make time for what is important to you? Do you find yourself being grumpy more that you want to be? My friend told me about a dream she had. It struck me that this story […]
Ice Breaking: Assisting Children During Hospital Stays
Whether you are a constant bedside parent or a visit after work parent you can do several things that improve the hospital stay experience for you and your child. I don’t always have the energy to do these things but I know they work. Supplies Leave you and your partners favoured coffee mug along with […]
Chronic Pain Management – Small Words Give Great Hope
Sometimes our daughter has had rough patches that lasted quite a while. During such time it can be difficult for all of us to remember that eventually things will get better. I bumped into John from the physiotherapy department one day at the hospital. I surprised myself by saying how bad things were. He said, […]
Parenting A Child With Arthritis – Some Struggle Is Healthy
The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers. Scott Peck Most of […]