“You have heard it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”

Matthew 5:43-33, NIV

I have been humbled and quite surprised by the response to my blog about my son.  The response has been overwhelmingly positive.  Many of you have reached out and thanked me for having the courage to share my struggle.  So often mental health is a hushed topic.  As parents, we believe all the negative comments that we are bombarded with because we do KNOW there is something wrong.  That this isn’t the way things should be.

You’re too lenient.

If only you were more consistent.

You are too young to be a parent.

If you spanked your child wouldn’t behave that way.

Which one of you is the parent?

If that was my child…

And the list goes on and on.

It was refreshing to hear a lot of positive comments.  I am so glad that I can become a voice for those who are afraid to speak out.  I want to do that.  I want to advocate not only for my child but for all children and their parents.  I promise to always tell it like it is–real, raw, and authentic.  No holding back or biting my tongue because it might hurt someone’s feelings.  I’m really not very good at biting my tongue anyway.

I look at it this way, if what I have to say upsets you, then that is your issue, not mine. Maybe what I have to say hits a nerve and makes you uncomfortable–well, I think we need more uncomfortable in the world.  Being uncomfortable can lead us to change if we let it.  And mental health is a topic that needs change.  Lots of change.

We also need to change the culture surrounding mental health.  It shouldn’t be a taboo topic.  If my child was diabetic, nobody would have an issue discussing it, so why shouldn’t we discuss his mental health.  Why should I not ask for help when I need help?  I’ve made my choice to speak out, but in doing so, I also made the choice to deal with those who don’t agree with me or whom I anger.  You can always unfollow me, unfriend me, or just simply not read my blog.   I promise it won’t hurt my feelings.  As my oldest said to me earlier, “You’ll be OK, Mom. You have your big girl panties on today!”