Re: soiling 8 year old

It's comforting to hear that your family faces this with a sense of humor, Molly! You didn't offend me at all, personally. You have to have a way to handle the everyday stress of this disorder, or you'll go crazy. I'm hoping that one day my son will learn to take all of this in stride and have a sense of humor about it. He's only 12 right now and still struggles, although he's been much better the last few weeks with increase on one of his meds. I hate that he has to take them, but after a lifetime of this (I grew up with my ex as well as married him, then my son) I know not to mess around when something finally works. My son started night terrors at 6 months old and they didn't stop until about a year ago, and he still wets the bed occasionally, too. What's really hard is that if I didn't tell you that he had problems, you would never know it until something triggers an emotional reaction that you don't expect; so when it happens, people think he's disrespectful (and I guess he is from that point of view) and spoiled, which means a lot of letters and phone calls to teachers and a lot of long, long afternoons and evenings trying to help him regain perspective and emotional stability. I tell only people who need to know, because I don't want a label over him, and that can make me feel very isolated with this, so I'm grateful for a wonderful therapist. I'm all for natural cures, assuming they can be seriously verified and there are no contraindications to some of my other problems (and his), but this is one thing I don't mess with. Sometimes I just cry wondering what his life will be like when he's an adult and I can't be there to help and protect him when certain situations come up, so to hear that your son is 16 and understands it, has a sense of humor about it, gives me hope!