Jena

Last year we became Legal Guardians of an 11yo little girl. Although we had some knowledge of her diagnosis we didn't know that she had RAD as well as PTSD and bi-polar. We do now! We also have two bio children 12 & 14. Home is a small ranch outside a small town in the sierra foothills. My husband is only home on the weekends and so 5 days a wk I'm a single parent. We have wonderful support from her various mental health workers (3!) and teachers. Still our lives have changed dramatically in the last year. Nickys come a long way, heck she even eats with a fork and not her hands and takes a shower every day without a big struggle, but there are days I just don't think I can do this. Then there are the days when she asks if I'll do her hair and will engage in mostly healthy interactions with the other kids. We don't have the yelling and tantrums but instead passive aggresive behavior and she hurts herself and at times small animals. We have rules about everything from food to using the bathroom to being around the animals. Every day is a new adventure with this child and some days I want to get off the tour and others I'm enjoying the trip.