anxiety disorders

Discovering Your Child is Different

I still remember the day like it was yesterday. We took our 18-month-old daughter to a behavioral pediatrician to see if she may be on the autism spectrum. She had been showing signs of having autism such as behavioral outbursts, a clingy disposition to myself, and she did strange things like make her bed every day and stack and re-stack books for hours. The knot in my stomach was too big to manage with tears ready and loaded as we waited in the waiting room to be called back. I was extremely nervous at how everything would turn out. It was a three hour test. My 18-month-old threw tantrums every 20 minutes, she wouldn’t allow anyone to…

By Mary Bockert, ago

What is my Parental Role with my Anxious Toddler?

It has been several months since our youngest of two, Delise got the diagnosis of severe anxiety. She is just two years old. Understanding how anxiety can be present in a toddler was mind boggling…and still is. What worries could she possibly have? I decided to dig deeper into her diagnosis and get a better understanding of what she was going through.

Having a child with anxiety feels very lonely. On the surface, everything seems alright. Teachers rave about them. Friends adore them. Relatives and family friends might not see what all the fuss is about. But what people don’t see is the daily struggle in the home. The fear that paralyzes them at night. The worries that consume their young mind and prompt them to feel nauseous, nervous and overwhelmed. Every day feels like a battle. A battle Delise doesn’t always win. I have discovered how to empower her by adjusting my parental role.

By Mary Bockert, ago

My Child Has Anxiety…Now What?

As Ben and I have learned the secret that drives our sweet 2 year olds behavior, we have taken a proactive look into how we can best help her cope. Diagnosed with severe anxiety disorder just 3 short weeks ago, we have been on a whirlwind of emotions. Once the initial shock of it all had disapated a bit, I could truly focus on the issues at hand…What is severe anxiety disorder in children? How do we best help Delise overcome her anxiety? What might her anxiety look like at different stages of her life? How did this happen? With all of these questions, I turned to the professionals and sought out answers.

By Mary Bockert, ago