Friday, March 9, 2012

Prayers for Caleb

For any of my friends who have been following my posts on FaceBook lately, or over the past year really, you probably have noticed that I mention Caleb a lot, and praying for him, and issues he's having, and struggles I'm having.  I've talked in length and emailed in length (probably too much length sometimes :-) about what we've been going through with Caleb lately.  Some of you have asked me how you can specifically pray for Caleb and for us, so I thought about it a lot tonight.  There is much more explanation and details behind everything, which some of you have listened to and read (thank you again!) But here is the summary I came up with tonight to share.

Caleb struggles with extreme anxiety, which has been clinically diagnosed recently, and he responds inappropriately to that anxiety in ways such as tantrums, meltdowns, degrading self talk, etc. at home. His meltdowns and anxiety levels have increased significantly with the start of kindergarten this year, and more recently in the past couple weeks even.  He also is affected by SPD, Sensory Processing Disorder, which contributes to some of his anxiety issues.  The things we need the most prayers for are:

1) For Caleb to learn and remember how to respond to his feelings in more appropriate ways, other than melt-downs, such as self-calming exercises, sensory activities, etc.
2) For Caleb to believe in himself and listen to the “voice of truth,” which is Jesus, who tells him that He is important and special just for who he is, not for what he does or does not do.
3) For Scott and I to have patience, understanding, and strength to parent Caleb in the best way possible for him, and to not grow weary in the daily, sometimes hourly, struggles we face with him. And for us to have hope that things will get better for C.
4) For Ethan and Alaina, our other children, to not feel neglected when we have to focus so much of our attention and energy on Caleb right now. And for Scott and I to be mindful of also spending the extra time and energy in fostering our relationships with our other children, even though they may not “scream out” for us to do so as loudly.
5) For Scott and I to have wisdom in discovering the best methods and means to help Caleb deal with his anxiety.

We all face challenges and struggles in our lives as parents, and this just happens to be the specific challenge we are facing right now with Caleb.  I was reminded tonight though of a promise from the Giver of life, who gave Caleb to us.

"The Lord says, 'I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.  I will advise you and watch over you.'" - Psalms 32:8 (NLT)

I am encouraged.

We are not experts on SPD, just parents learning as we go.  Please see a licensed professional to learn the best ways to help your SPD child.

1 comment :

  1. I'm so sorry to hear about the struggles you have been having. That is so hard. But I am a firm believer that prayer and faith is the most important part of parenting and helping children, and is ultimately what cured Lexi in her trials. We will definitely keep you in our prayers.

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