Come visit my other writing, as other
thriving parents’ blogs,
for daily support at the
Consider this your 12-Step Tics and Tourettes Support Group where we will encourage each other to:
1. Accept the tics we cannot change
2. Change the tics we can
3. And have the wisdom to know the difference.
About Me
I’m a produced TV writer, magazine, newspaper and national blog writer who recently finished up a 3 year run with Good Housekeeping and BabyCenter.
My biggest production yet has been my two children, Stink (9) and Pip (7).
Fear: When my son was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome in 2007, I was pretty ticked off. Thanks to the media and fear inducing internet articles, I was terrified he would curse, shriek, scream and hump busses.
Reality: Quite the opposite, he is highly creative, social and thriving.
Fantasy: His tics are gone and he’s currently a poster child for Gap!
Actuality: I keep his tics at a minimum through a gluten free/caesin free diet.
Nightmare: I used to live in a constant place of dread and panic.
Awakening: I don’t worry about tics at all anymore. I began living in the present and focusing on the amazing person Stink is, despite a few tics.
Insanity: I’d spend hours of misery pouring over the internet for quick fix cures.
Reality: I accepted that TS doesn’t have a cure, but my bad attitude could be transformed - one day at a time.
Transformation: Like childbirth, there was ton of groaning, cursing and gnashing of teeth. (A little anti-anxiety medication to ease the pain didn’t hurt me, either.)
Results: In calming myself down and keeping my eyes focused on faith, not fear, I was able to nurture a child who is loving, kind, and funny as hell – T.S. or not.
Purpose of This Blog
I aim to write the blog that wasn’t there for me when my son was diagnosed five years ago.
I will pack this sucker full of tips from nutrition, to diet, to OCD, ADHD, IEPs, supplements and more.
I will remind you daily that life is a journey. It’s your choice to play the best hand given the cards you were dealt.
I will remind you that while T.S. isn’t what you might have chosen, it can end up being the greatest present you or child ever opened, because it forces us to face that fact that NOTHING IS PERFECT.
NO CHILD IS PERFECT.
I’d rather have my confident son, with a few tics, then a “perfect” child who is an insecure twit.
Consider T.S. your invite to getting a grip on the realities of life: The good, the bad, and the less than pleasant. But also the pure joy. Because no minor (or major) shaking, tics, twitches or jerks can detract from a pure exuberance that shines from the inside out.
You are not alone.
Joy is possible.
Welcome to Happily Ticked Off.
* Daily blogs can be found on the sidebar on the right, or click on the “Home” tab above.
Love it ANdrea and way to go!!!!
Thank!!!! looked everywhere for ways to help my son without realizing it was me that needed help. you made me see the light in a very long dark tunnel.
Glad to see you are back. My son got his offical diagnosis of TS on Jan 5th. It was like living it all over again. Your blogging is a wonderful insight and filled with great attitude. Keep of the great work