I was never a deadhead, but I’ve spent some time at Grateful Dead concerts.  Jerry Garcia has written some of my favorite song lyrics. That being said, I can’t think of a better way to describe the vortex I have been living in. What A Long, Strange Trip It’s Been defines the past months of my life.

When you are a mom and something isn’t right with your child, the rest of the world doesn’t matter.  I’ve endured tantrums and bad behavior.  I’ve had a critically ill daughter.  I have spent years reading aloud to child who couldn’t read when all his peers could.  I have had my share of maternal strife and come out on top.  This year was different.  As your kids get older, the stakes get higher. High school transcripts are what colleges look at to decide if they will admit you.  It matters.  I was ready for my oldest to leave eighth grade.  He was ready.  I wasn’t ready for everything that high school would throw at us.  Surely somewhere out there someone had an idyllic freshman year.  It certainly didn’t happen here.

It was hard on my son, which made it hard on me. It was disturbingly hard on my husband, which made it even harder on me.  Our entire household felt the effect of our oldest son’s struggles.  It was a long, strange year. 

Parenting challenges suck your time and drain your energy.  I had to let go of things I enjoyed to take care of the people and things that demanded my attention.  I hope that time is over. I’m back to writing and sharing my journey as a working mom here.   

Keep your fingers crossed.  I believe good things are ahead.