A few weeks ago my 10 year was getting ready for school and as I was helping her with her jacket and backpack I noticed her eyebrows seemed all askew. I made a mental note of it and then was distracted by the dog throwing up on the kitchen floor.
Next morning, I pulled a classic "mom" move and licked my fingers and tried to smooth out her eyebrows. To my horror, I noticed that her eyebrows weren't mussed up at all, they had two huge bald spots on both eyebrows.
My 10 year is pulling out her eyebrows.
It took awhile for me to understand the situation. She's always been a high stress girl. Easily upset, quick to cry, feelings hanging from her sleeve. My biggest worry had always been that she'd be a nail biter like I was. Eyebrow pulling wasn't even on my radar.
Last month she had her first real full blown panic attack. She honestly thought she was dying and begged me to call 911. It took 30 minutes and more than a few squirts of 'rescue remedy' to get her to calm down.
My poor poor girl. There is nothing a ten year old girl should be so worried about that she's hurting herself.
I immediately called the school counselor who's been very helpful this year and made an appointment to see her and the district psychologist.
Hubby and I bought some squeezy things and a rubbing stone for her to keep in her pocket for when she feels stressed...hopefully they will help. A few wisps of hair are growing back...ever so slowly.
On a scarier note: My oldest is learning how to drive. When did I get sooooo old?
On a happier note:
Happy Mother's Day to all you Mother's out there!!
It's the hardest job in the world and we all deserve hazard pay.
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12 comments:
Oh, wow! I feel for you; a 10-yr old should never feel that stressed out. It's this TMI world we live in. I didn't know anything when I was 10, & had no care in the world. I've never heard of this rescue remedy though. I'll have to check it out.
Good luck w/ the new driving! Yikes!
I never go anywhere without my recue remedy and a bottle of arnica. My little one is a nail biter, drives me nuts. Hope your little one can overcome her anxiaties. Glad you and her have a counselor to turn to.
Thanks ladies,
Rescue remedy is great. My daughter's kindergarten teacher had it in her classroom for emergencies. I'd never heard of it, but it works great. Especially for the little monkeys who go bezerk when they see their own blood from a boo-boo.
I hear you, Girlfriend. My 9 year old Little Man just had a stressed-out breakdown over State Testing. "We're only 9! How do they expect us to remember all this stuff? Some of this stuff we learned way back in SEPTEMBER! I'm only a few points away from the next band, and what if I don't make it, Mom? What if I don't make it???" Many tears, nails are bitten down to the quick. Always a nervous, sensitive guy, and totally unnerved over the pressure for his school to perform resting on his little shoulders. Ridiculous to stress out little people like that. What hath No Child Left Without Stress done to our kids?
Hope she's doing better, and so sorry about the driving business...we'll be there in 2-3 yrs. and I'll be seeking your wisdom and counsel...
Momma P,
I hear you. Your STAR testing is our WASL testing...and I agree it's ridiculous to stress our young kids out.
I'm not a believer in standardized tests either. NCLB has totally screwed up our public school systems here in the U.S. They only teach for the testing and leave out so much more of a good education.
My 9th grader's WASL testing was canceled to save the district money this year. My thought was save billions of school money and cancel all NCLB testing everywhere.
They never had that when I was growing up and the school districts were able to see how the kids were progressing. That's are the grades reflect.
Not every kid fits into a square peg.
Yesterday my oldest drove me to town to run errands. Yikes!! She did well but I still couldn't help pushing my foot down AS IF I had a brake on the passenger side! Ha!
My helpful advice: Just tell your kid to drive AS IF everyone else on the road is not paying attention...because usually they aren't. It's the bicyclists that scare the shit out of me.
My daughter suffered from panic attacks,she is so much better now.
i have a 10yo boy and some days it's a horrible kind of torture sending him off to school.
i wouldn't go back to school for all the money in the world.
might not feel like it, but i'm sure the fact that your daughter has been able to talk about it with you has helped her immensely.
It's sad all the demands placed on kids these days. There's no time for them anymore between school, activities, homework... and all the obligations.
Even if as a parent you avoid overscheduling.. the school curriculum is so demanding.
What happened to the carefree days of being a kid?
I've gotten panic attacks before but I've never pulled out my hair because of it...
I've never heard of this rescue remedy stuff, do you have any clue as to what its made out of?
As for teaching your other child how to drive...better make your next shot of the rescue stuff a double!
Also, happy baby-mamma's day!
Alberto,
If you click on the link for the rescue remedy and then click product information is lists the ingredients. It's homeopathic medicine, all natural made of flowers and herbs. You spray it on the tongue and it works well.
My boy used to get this type of attacks but he is better now. You blog is very interesting.
Thanks for sharing a pert of your life.
Good Day
Thank goodness you knew a panic attack when you saw it. Your daughter is very lucky you are her mom. I had them for years undiagnosed as a kid and it wasn't until college that I figure out what was going on. If she learns to deal with this now, hopefully it will just be something she grows out of.
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