Truly understanding you are not alone is an important revelation. Some days you may find yourself angry, exhausted, and frustrated, but recognizing you are not the first person to raise an outside-of-the-box child will give you the much-needed hope and strength to fuel the long journey ahead. There are others and their wisdom is priceless! Life is all about perspective.  Accept the challenges you are bound to encounter and conquer them.  Raising a child is hard...period.  At the core, your outside-of-the-box child is just that:  a child.  As a parent, your job is to do your best to encourage them, provide for them, and ensure their needs are met.  Ultimately, we all want to see our children be successful, independent, contributing members of society.  Though there are circumstances where that may not be possible, each and every child is a wonderful gift who has been placed on this earth to fulfill their purpose.  We must be patient.  Only time will reveal what that purpose is. Th

This past weekend I attended the National Tourette Syndrome Education Conference in Washington D.C.  Tourette is still relatively new to our family, as it's only been 1 1/2 years since our son's official diagnosis.  This conference was the first time I had been around people who fully understand the life we live.  While it was so comforting to be surrounded by so many who get it, it was also heartbreaking to hear how many people had children (or were once children themselves) who were placed in an education system that did not understand their needs.  The lack of awareness and education regarding those living with Tourette is astounding. It is my firm belief that our education system is broken.  The method which our children are taught and the focus on standardized test performance has created an educational environment that deprives our children of developmentally appropriate practice, the opportunity for diverse and creative learning, and the social connection our childre