This comment was sent to my email address from adoptive father, Steve. His wise comment highlights the importance of being a care manager for your child: In my opinion one of the most important aspect of care management is watching for side effects of medications. Most people know that medicines can have different side effects for different people. What we learned (the hard way) is that when it comes to mood altering drugs, if a person is given a drug for a condition they don't actually have, it can have the opposite effect on them. For example, a drug that treats aggression, when given to a person who isn't aggressive can actually make them more aggressive. You should always note when a medication is changed or a dosage is altered and watch for any changes, desired or undesired. If they get worse it's obvious you need to talk to the one who prescribed it. If they don't change, maybe they don't even need to be on that drug and once again, talk to the prescriber. I'm all for taking a drug that makes a positive change in your health, but I hate the idea of taking one long term with no benefit. That can't be anything but an unnecessary risk. As a child's care manager it's really up to you to see that the follow up takes place because sometimes the Doctors don't. When they say "Let's try this", it doesn't mean let's try it for three years. It really means let's try it and if it doesn't work we'll move on to something else that might. Know the side effects of a medication and talk to your child to see if they notice any changes of any kind. Tracking changes can be a difficult thing to do, even on yourself. It's even harder when a child may not have the understanding, awareness, or vocabulary that an adult would have.

Thanks Robyn! I appreciate it! Carol

Congratulations to you and your wife! You could start with documenting your family's journey through pictures and notes about your wife's pregnancy and your life together. I'm glad to hear you're planning to discuss heavier issues, but it might be best to discuss those in private. Carol