If this ain’t a message from Him, my inner voice pronounced, then what is?

The room became suddenly quiet. Thirty mothers and daughters looked my way

Mom is supposed to be a rock. If I can completely deplete her with just one tantrum, what does that mean? What am I—a little girl struggling with emotional regulation—supposed to ...

Deep breath. I was not going to lose my cool while lecturing about calm-down strategies

But your child has a different neurological profile from other children. She lives in a perpetual fight-or-flight state

Can we have one normal homecoming, please? No drama, no violence, just a warm hello? Apparently not

The scrunched-face screaming was a constant, slowly skinning my sanity. I’d pace the hallway, saying “sh-sh” until my palate was dry and my hands were limp