Articles
My shame to an adventure of a lifetime – an article on Guilt and Shame
This shame and guilt led me to question everything in my life and led me to being more vulnerable to myself and to others. Brene Brown states; “The ability to hold something we've done or failed to do up against who we want to be is incredibly adaptive. It's uncomfortable but it's adaptive.”
A very personal account of a journey to surviving infidelity – Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
The concept of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is generally quite well known in society these days. The problem was that although I could relate to the PTSD symptoms identified in research, most of the articles only mentioned people who experienced or witnessed a terrifying event such as assaults; murder or natural disasters. At the time I was unaware of PTSD for people who experienced infidelity and didn’t realise it actually existed. Even when I researched Infidelity PTSD, it was difficult to find any article’s mentioning it until I discovered one, written by Mitzi Bokmann (2019) that I could relate to. As I read through the PTSD symptoms, I realised that I experienced all of the symptoms and maybe by writing this article I can help others relate to it as well.
Tips on preparing your toddler for the new baby
The announcement of having another child might be very [...]
My Child is Gay, What did I do Wrong?
So your child comes to you and tells you he is gay or she is lesbian. You feel that the earth has dropped out from under your feet. You look at them and try to read their faces. A million questions go through your mind. You look at them and wait, are they joking? Your mind screams, “Please just laugh and say I’m only joking”. It does not come. You realise this is real. You feel for a moment you’re in a Mexican standoff.
And then you were gone… The grief journey
Losing someone that you love is not something that can be easily be described in words to another person. Whether it was expected or unexpected – in a single moment life changes. Never to return to what it was. The person that you loved, lived, laughed and fought with, is suddenly just gone. Reduced to photographs, “can-you still-remembers-?”, and a few personal belongings.
Children and Social Media
Your child cannot see the person at the other end of the computer. There is no way for children to know who they are talking to. The paedophile will start an innocent conversation with your child. They are very good at posing as young children and are up to date with what children like, are interested in and the latest trends. At first, the questions will be innocent and seemingly harmless.
The valuable role grandparents play in a child’s life
My husband and I are in the fortunate position where both our parents are alive and involved in our child’s life. Although they live far away, we ensure that they visit us regularly or we try to visit them as often as possible. Whenever I see our little one interacting with her grandparents I am in awe of the total bliss and delight both parties experience. It made me realize just how important this intergenerational relationship is and how much everyone involved can benefit from it.
A MOTHERS STORY – Child Sexual Abuse
“My son, was sexually abused by a predator. I felt as though my son’s life and mine had come to an end. As a result I blamed myself and hated myself. How could I not have seen? Was it possible I let this happen? Why did I not see the signs? What did I do wrong that my little boy not tell me? When I eventually found out my first action was to hold my son. I told him over and over again that I was sorry. Very sorry that I wasn’t there when he needed me the most”. This was the beginning of a seeming never-ending nightmare for Mom X. There was no light at the end of the tunnel.
How on earth do I keep all the balls in the air? When motherhood becomes just too much.
Oh, but the TIREDNESS. I will never forget. Never ever, ever, ever!! It lasted for 18 years (sorry my dearest sisters). One night I woke up and I couldn’t find my sweetheart last born - oh my freak! She was lying on the carpet! What was happening to me? How did she land there? Was I going to be arrested for child abuse? I could just see the headlines: “Social worker abandons newborn on floor”.
Is group therapy for me?
Most people firstly use their friends and family as [...]