It is exactly like a punch in the stomach, at first. It is overwhelming and hard to deal with. As a parent, you feel a little helpless and sad that you can't fix it. I remember crying a lot in the first week. Every time I looked at DD, my eyes would well up. I lost a lot of sleep, worrying how she would cope with all the challenges she was going to face.
It gets easier as time goes on. The shock fades and you get back to the business of working through each day as it comes. I try not to look too far ahead, to be honest. I focus on helping her deal with her current struggles and concentrate on keeping her strengths front and centre.
DD helps to keep things in perspective. She rarely gets down on herself now that she has her 'long list of troubled' identified. She says that she feels like a big weight has been lifted off by giving everything a name. It gives her access to appropriate resources and stops others from blaming her everything on laziness. I figure that if she can find positivity in all of this, than so should I.
Not to say that the mommy guilt and worry is gone. But, it does get easier to cope with. Hugs.
