Hiding

why do i hide?

where’s my courage?

July 27, 2014 ~ Today I read a blog written by the mother of a young teenage boy who suffered burns over 45% of his body. She was so open with everything - the details, her feelings, what was happening today, what she hoped would happen tomorrow. It was obviously a nightmare for her son and thus, for her and she found relief in being able to talk about it and post pictures of his progress.

I know that there are thousands of mothers who are suffering like she is but are unable to reach out to others in this way. They are mothers of children with mental illness.

Being the mother of a child with a mental illness means getting very good at hiding. We learn to tell a story about our children that we pray makes them seem a little less mentally ill. We learn how to black out the name of the meds on the empty bottles before we throw them away. We scrub up our children and try to make them look nice on the outside with new clothes and good haircuts in hopes that people won't notice that they're struggling on the inside.

One day I hope that either things will change or, if they don't, that I have enough courage that I feel like I don't have to hide anymore. And I hope the same for you