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Childhood imagination, Family, family life, funny kid's story, hiding symptoms, innovation, life with MS, memory, MS, MS cognitive function, MS progression, MS symptoms

I Got Your Crazy Right Here!

If you want crazy, I can do crazy!
If you want crazy, I can do crazy!

At camp this week, O celebrated “Crazy Hair Day.” When it comes to crazy, it’s a house specialty, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

It was an excuse to take advantage of O’s naturally flamboyant, impulsive nature.  It some ways, it was like asking a cat to sit in the sun.  With O, his impulsive side frequently gets him into trouble,but days like today are our rewards for dealing with the negative consequences of impulsive behavior.  We all get to smile and appreciate the joyful abandon with which he can throw himself into a project.  It is one of his traits I think we need to cultivate as much as possible because it will let him do things as an adult nobody else even considers.  Free thinkers move society in ways those of us stuck in our mindsets will never anticipate and frequently only appreciate in hindsight.

As for me, my crazy was a bit different this week.  I went to a block party to say goodbye for some of our neighbors with whom we have been friends for years.  The crazy part was my inability to remember anyone’s name outside of my family.  Now I have spent minutes remembering my wife’s name, but I have never drawn so complete a blank on so many names with whom we have hung out for years.  I couldn’t even remember their kids names as they played with A, O, and K in the cul-de-sac.  I guess I am lucky I have so much practice dealing with people who know me whose name I do not know.  Years of being an R.A. in college came in handy once more.  Of course, years as the dad of A, O, and K have the same effect.  Their behaviors and stories are frequently a topic of discussion with other parents and bystanders who know us or of us.

Still, I hope this recent memory lapse is the result of stress and pain rather than another flare.  The experience was rather disconcerting, but I do not think anyone else noticed.  I have been lucky for most of the past five years in terms of MS progression.  Reluctantly, I am scheduling a titer count, a test to see the risks for continuing to use Tysabri. I have put it off long enough.  I know the test will say nothing of whether I am having a flare, but it will give me a better sense of the risks I face continuing to use Tysabri.

All in all, it is just another “crazy” week, but it is one with a lasting image to make us smile.

Here’s to the exuberance of youth!  May we all hold it for as long as we can.

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funny kid's story, kids' self definition

Smile

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    On the almost too funny for words front, my daughter asked my mother-in-law to smile yesterday while they were sitting at the dinner table having some lunch. Like a good grandma, she smiled even though she had food in her mouth forcing a closed mouth smile. This wouldn’t be anything most of us would think twice about, save for my daughter replying “So it is true. You can’t see a white person’s teeth when they smile. You can see the teeth of a Black person when they smile. See.”  The best part is she is missing her front teeth.

    Of course as soon as the mouthful was swallowed, this belief was shown to be wrong. Still, I find it interesting to watch how my kids define themselves in the world as they look for “alike” and “different” even in our family. In a lot of ways, it seems my family is sociology writ micro with a healthy dose of psychology. Here’s hoping my kids find a place in society they can define themselves and be content.

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