There is a delicate/indelicate dance going on here with this advice for some families however. Between exploring new treatments,
supplements, therapies and balancing what works. Over the years, I've found myself in a number of
contradictions. Listen to your gut vs.
never give up on your child. It would
seem from the 1,000 foot view that these two directives would not be mutually
exclusive, but, they are. If my gut is
terrified of trying something new, or is responding to the negative outcomes
from said new treatment, I’ve yet to encounter a para-professional that
responds:
“You’re right mom, your gut is right! Our new, life changing treatment we thought would work is wrong.”
Rather, I hear a lot of:
“Give it time.”
Or
just general and polite implications that the reason why their treatment is
upsetting my gut is for another reason (environmental factors, parent failure, alien invasion…etc.).
The number of times you get told you don’t fit as a parent
of a kid with a condition that is unexplainable is really, painfully high. When it comes from the outside, “normal kid”
world, it is expected. When it comes at
the end of yet another time consuming, emotionally and financially exhausting
therapy or treatment, it sucks. We are
all super special, unique, quixotic, whatever.
We each are miracles of God’s creation and this will be the only time
each of us will be here in this format.
The most true answer I have found in this quagmire of parenting is “I don’t
know.”
So, if a parent is trusting their gut, and it doesn't look "right" to you, maybe take a beat, and ask yourself if maybe, that parent might know a bit more about their kiddo than you do.
