On a More Serious Note

Had a little scare on Friday with my daughter going to the ER.  She was given too much of her medicine (Valium) at one time.  She was just overly tired but, as a precautionary measure, was taken to the hospital.  Things like this definitely make me reexamine my fears and worries as she gets older.  I’m not mad that it happened – it could have happened on anyone’s watch.  Many people watch her during the week, which helps out my husband and I tremendously.  Sometimes I tend to take things about her for granted.  Then other times I feel much too overprotective because of her disability.  She’s gone to the hospital many times for health problems that, I’m certain, could have been avoided if she could tell us how she was feeling.  As such a happy kid, she’s always smiling – even with a double ear infection, UTI, and suffering from dehydration (as was our last visit to the hospital).  Part of me wants to stay home everyday with her to make sure she gets off to school (the two half days she does go a week), she’s dressed appropriately, her medicine has been taken, therapy is done, she’s clean, fed, etc.  The other part of me isn’t sure if I could handle 24/7 care of a disabled child. 

It’s hard to judge that fine line between how a normal two-year-old should act and how she acts.  Is she acting this way because of her CP, or is it because she’s in the “terrible twos”?  The doctor said part of her brain that was injured controls inhibitions.  She’s growing up so fast!  I don’t want a spoiled rotten brat of a kid that throws a tantrum on a whim while I blame it all on her CP.  But how bad would I feel if she couldn’t help something she did because of it and I discipline her non-stop for it?  How do you make that distinction?  This is something no one can answer; but my husband and I will need to learn by trial and error.  It makes me think how other parents do this.  And how do you do it right?  I guess what’s “right” is subjective coupled with imperfection.  You do the best you can and hope it doesn’t come back to bite you in the butt later.