“What I Thought Would Fix It All (And What Actually Helped)”
“Loving Him Through It: Learning to Parent While Healing Myself” Before I talk about our camping trip I want to talk a little about why this trip was so important to me and how I had gotten to the point that I had. Since kindergarten, Grayson’s struggled. School never fit him. He had a hard time regulating his emotions, making lasting friendships, or feeling like he belonged — and it cut deep because I recognized every bit of it. I lived that. And just like me, he didn’t have the words for what was happening inside his head. I tried everything. More one-on-one time. Elaborate trips. Soccer, baseball, boxing. I bought him things I couldn’t afford, hoping they’d fill a hole I didn’t know how to reach. I swung between coddling him and losing my temper. Lecturing when I should’ve listened. Inconsistent in my efforts to actually help. Truth is — I didn’t see that I was part of the problem By the time...