Kids, Make Mommy a Drink!

Yeah it's been one of those days, weeks, months, blah, blah, blah....

I've been concerned about one of my sons for awhile now. He shows all of the classic symptoms of bipolar disorder:


restlessness—high energy and activity level

racing thoughts and rapid talking

decreased need for sleep

euphoria

distractibility

grandiosity—inflated self-esteem

pursuit of reckless or pleasurable activities

That's the mania part of this disorder. That's usually him.

I haven't heard from him in a few days and I began to worry. He missed several big family events without so much as a text. I talked to him today and the mom antennae sprang into action. His voice was flat, he's withdrawn from everything, sleeping all of the time, not eating, and feeling hopeless. Classic signs of the depressive side.

We've brought up the subject to him a few times and he gets extremely annoyed with us. The last time he said several things that validated my suspicions. He said he felt invincible, full of energy, restless and he needed to travel. He has a personality to die for and his charisma is his biggest downfall. Classic.

I brought up the possibility of bipolar again.

Cole: "Mother"
Me: "Cole"
Cole: Mother!"
Me: "Cole!"
Cole "MOTHER!"

He only calls me "mother" when he's agitated. Ok, I backed off but at least I said a few things to make him think, I hope.

I'm going to ask him if he'd be willing to be screened, and I'll pay, so that he can tell me "I told you so." I know there's no way he'll be able to tell me that. I know that he's affected much more with bipolar than Karli and I are combined.

That scares me. He's much more at risk than we are for self-harm and suicide. He's 25 now so I have very little influence with him and he's the type of kid that if pushed to do something digs in his heels and will not budge.

Then Karli called the pediatrician about some symptoms that Anna-Grace is showing. They want to see her ASAP. The nurse's words were "those symptoms are not those of a well child." She also said "something as serious as this" cannot be ignored. Ok, fun times.

If those lovely things weren't enough I had to do my own laundry today! Me? Laundry? I mean I'm the one that has to ask my kids how to operate the dishwasher on the rare occaisions that I actually have to turn it on. I'd rather scrub a toilet than do laundry. Oh, wait, I pay someone to do that. Never mind.

Next on the list a friend of mine, Kevin, that shall remain nameless called me old! He asked if I was having a "senior" moment! I admit to blond moments, but "senior" moments? Never!

Now I find out that there's something that I've neglected. I can't believe it. I'm not sure how it happened. I mean my kids were washing their own clothes as soon as they were able to reach the controls. They've washed dishes for years. I've taught them how to cook. I made them all sew aprons, even the boys. I've tried to make sure that they're well rounded, able to handle any situation.

When I realized  my mistake I wasn't sure how to handle it. My head was spinning and I began to feel sick. It seems that not one of them, not a single one, can make me a drink! I mean how freaking hard is it to get a glass, pour the correct amount of Tanqueray into said glass, add tonic and a twist of lime?