Hello! I'm the mother of three kids, ages 14, 12, and 10. The two youngest both have Tourette's Syndrome - one mild, and one more severely. My oldest child has one tic, which is not enough to make the diagnosis of TS, but enough to know she definitely is a part of the family.
TS often comes with other conditions. In our case, all three kids have ADHD, two have obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and one has an anxiety disorder. The two younger ones have always shown some signs of Asperger's Syndrome as well, which is a very mild form of autism that affects social relationships primarily.
So, we have our hands full! I often joke I just wouldn't know what to do with a quiet, "normal" child. That's okay though, I'm thrilled to have my three. They are my life and my love.
Munchkin #1, and the only girl, is 14. She would like to be known as the queen of all things, but we tend to just call her the drama queen. She is, above all else, a TEENAGER. Of course, this means she is certifiably insane. No really, have you ever tried to deal with a 14 year old girl? There is no logic or reason. Theatrics rule. She once, through tears streaming down her face, tried to convince us the big, mean, giant cell phone company had singled her out and falsely put those text message calls on her cell phone during school hours JUST to get her in trouble. For three days, she cried and swore up and down she was telling the truth. She should have gotten an academy award for the performance. After three days, when the punishment was still in force, she finally turned off the tears and admitted she had sent the text messages. Color me shocked it wasn't the evil cell phone company after all! Teenagers are insane. Trust me. In addition to her obvious acting abilities, she also has moderate ADHD, OCD, and one tic which sounds like an exaggerated hiccup.
Munchkin #2 is the middle child. We like to call him Mr. Antagonizer. I don't know if it's just his personality or middle child syndrome ... or both ... but this kid lives to antagonize others. His younger brother and older sister are obvious targets, but he also likes to antagonize his parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends, teachers, and strangers on the street. It is his greatest talent. He has mild Tourette's in the form of a couple of tics, mostly clearing his throat and scrunching up his eyes. He also has inattentive ADHD that mostly affects him in school and shows signs of Aspergers. Being 12, he generally gets along with kids in the 9-10 year old range, not his same-age peers. His puberty so far has not shown up, much to my relief. I know it will be here soon, but I am enjoying only having one child with hormones at the moment.
Munchkin #3 is the baby of the family at 10. He is also the most difficult to parent, given his array of problems. He has a moderate case of TS, severe ADHD, an anxiety disorder, OCD, and Asperger's syndrome. He has been in special ed since the second grade and does fine in it, but cannot be in a regular classroom and still succeed. Through a lot of trial and error, we have finally figured out how he learns (hands on ONLY) and he finally has caught up to his peers academically. It's been a long road to get him there though. He has multiple and changing tics that range from full body shakes, to odd noises, to saying a word over and over again. His anxiety disorder centers around separation anxiety and there have been times he has refused to leave my side or his father's side. Friendships are difficult for him to make and keep for a variety of reasons - including a lack of acceptance for his tics. All that said, he is a loving and good hearted child and very special.
Okay, that's enough for introductions!
