Can't we just get another one, Mummy?

My kids don't really want for anything.
We don't have great wealth, but they most certainly don't go without a thing. They are well fed, well clothed, and they are surrounded by toys and gadgets galore....much more than I ever had as a kid.

But we live in a 'throw-away-and-replace' society, so the kids tend to have this notion that anything can be replaced, at the drop of a hat.

During my marriage, this was certainly true, so I guess the kids learned certain behaviours from a very early age. If something got broken, their father would immediately replace it. If they lost something, it was also replaced. Easy come, easy go.
A DVD player, here, a computer there....it was all just 'disposable' and therefore (to the kids) valueless.

Since becoming a single mum, I find I'm trying to introduce certain values which had not been imposed in the past. They work for their pocket money, they do chores around the house, and I try my best to get them to respect their belongings and be grateful they have so much (although this part is still inordinately challenging!)

The older two understand that money is something which has to be earned, and that it cannot be taken from other people willy nilly. I've taught them that to take something and then not pay for it, is theft. And I've taught them that theft is a crime. It is wrong.

Sometimes things get lost or broken through no fault of the kids though. So I've been quick to reassure them, that in cases where nobody is to blame, if we work hard enough, we can replace the missing important items over time.

But kids have such impressionable minds, and they cannot always distinguish between the physical and the emotional.

So it stands to reason, in their minds, that if Mummy can work at replacing things they lost 'accidentally', then Mummy can also provide them with something else they 'lost'....a Daddy.

Now, this is where it gets tricky. I can do many things, but I cannot provide them with this one important 'item'.

'But Mummy, you like so-and-so, don't you? He's a man.'

'Yes, sweetheart, he is, and I like him, this is true.'

'So why can't you just marry him then, and he can be our Daddy?'

'Because it doesn't work like that I'm afraid. It needs to be special love for that to work.'

'But why not Mummy?'

'It's complicated sweetheart, it's just not possible at the moment.'

And these are the questions I'm fielding all the time these days. They don't care WHO he is, they just want SOMEBODY.

I guess this is one of the toughest aspects of being a single parent. You can provide your child with all the love and attention in the world, but when one parent withdraws completely, it's not easy to explain why, and it's impossible to just 'replace' this person with a similar model!

Instead, you try to fill the gap as best you can, and hope that one day, as they mature, they'll understand the whys and wherefores.

I believe mine will, over time. They will hopefully grow to understand that sometimes bad things happen for good reasons, and that some things are just impossible to replace. Indeed, sometimes it's just better not to even try.

There are things we can live without, and some things we just can't.

The last two years have shown us what we can live without.

What we can't live without, exists in abundance in this house anyway......and that can never be stolen, lost or broken.

Rosebud

This one is about my middle daughter, the subject of my last blog....

The softest hair
The pinkest skin
Her beauty shines
From deep within
Her smile lights up
The darkest day
A love so pure
To guide the way
And when she sings
Her gentle voice
Lifts up my heart
Makes me rejoice
And Oh!
Such fiery temperament
The quickest flash
Then sweet lament
Her mind so open
An empty page
Absorbing life
Quick to engage
My Rose
She has eccentric style
Unique, yet wholly
Versatile
Her character
With years so few
Displays her strength
And shines straight through
A gentle heart
A giving soul
The softest touch
She makes me whole
Little Rosebud
Enchanting child
With smile so bright
My heart beguiled
I'll never tire
Of her sweet kiss
The cutest lips
Innocent bliss

Her hand in mine
Through love, she grows
A blooming flower
Enchanting Rose

Selective Mutism.....its not through choice!

As the parent of a child who suffers from selective mutism, I have had to learn a great deal about this condition over the last year or so.

My daughter has been through a lot of upheaval in her short life. We moved six times inside five years. It was stressful for me to cope with, so I can only imagine what it must have been like for the kids.

The final two moves saw them removed from the ‘family’ home into temporary accommodation, then subsequently, into an affordable apartment which we could finally call our own.

In the middle of this, the girls began to attend the local Kindergarten. They had attended a Kindergarten previously, but one which was bi-lingual. At this Kindergarten, my daughter spoke, but only in English.

She would speak German at home, to her sister and sometimes to me, but not in Kindergarten with the other children.

Following the break up of the family and the subsequent moves, she was now not only required to start a brand new Kindergarten, with unknown children and unfamiliar surroundings, but this Kindergarten was also an exclusively Swiss one, and therefore one-hundred percent German speaking.

So when she didn’t speak in the beginning. None of us thought it unusual. She’d need time to adjust, we decided. It was a lot for a four year old to cope with.

The months passed, and she remained silent. Happy, but silent.

She would come home and enthuse to me about how much fun she was having in Kindergarten. She chattered to me non-stop about any subject she could think of. She played happily with our English speaking friends kids, and never had any communication issues whatsoever….even in a social environment. She played with our neighbours’ children and gradually her grasp of the Swiss German language became more and more solid. She took part in the Kindergarten nativity play….as a (non-speaking) sheep, and I almost burst with pride as I watched her ‘perform’!

More time passed, and still not a sound came from her lips…….. in Kindergarten.

Still, the teachers and I saw no cause for concern. She would happily attend, and by now was integrated into the class. Her piers had accepted her as she was. They loved my silent little girl, and as kids always do, they found alternative ways to communicate with her.

During the summer holidays we would regularly visit our local Lakeside Beach complex. Here she would play happily (and noisily) with the other children in our group. So it barely registered when one of her little Kindergarten friends came along to join in, that she would suddenly fall silent again. They would invariably trot off together, hand in hand, to play in the sand. It seemed all was normal.

The new term began. The second year of Kindergarten, and the year in which she would be assessed regarding her readiness to attend school.

Just before half term, they called me in to talk to them. By now, they were getting worried.

“We cannot assess her if she doesn’t speak.” They explained.

“She seems happy enough, and she’s very popular with the other children, but we are concerned she’s not progressing and this is because of her (lack of) communication.”

“What would you like me to do?” I asked.

“She has no problems communicating at home, it’s really only in this environment that she won’t speak. Plus when she is with her other Kindergarten friends. It’s almost as though she has built a brick wall and cannot overcome her fears.”

I felt devastated. I wanted my little girl to be happy. I didn’t want her to lack the confidence to speak. I blamed myself, thinking, almost inevitably, that this was something to do with the Divorce and the subsequent disappearance of her Father from her life.

We agreed that she would be psychiatrically assessed, after which we would decide on the best course of action.

Before we went for our appointment at the hospital, I spent a morning with her in Kindergarten, in the hopes that my presence may encourage her to talk.

She was so happy when I told her I’d be coming with her! Her little face beamed with pride and all the way there she chattered about her classmates and what they would be doing today. Then, as soon as we set foot into the grounds of the school, she fell silent. She nodded and smiled, but not one sound came out.

It was heartbreaking for me to watch, because this wasn’t the little girl I knew. I was shocked. And felt so desperately sorry for her.

At one point she was allowed to take me upstairs to show me the ‘Barbie Corner’, where they are allowed to play house in their ‘free’ time.

It was just the two of us now, so I was convinced I would be able to get her to speak to me. I picked up a doll.

“She’s lovely!” I said. “What’s her name?”

She just looked at me, her eyes pleading.

“Can you whisper it?”

She tried. She tried so hard. I was willing her on, but she was physically not capable of uttering a sound, not even to me.

It was only then that I realised how truly difficult this was for her, and this was not a choice she was making by herself.

I felt dismayed to see her like this. I wanted to help her but there was nothing I could do.

I consoled myself with the knowledge that the little girl before me was not sad, uncomfortable or tense in the Kindergarten setting. She was relaxed and enjoying being there. She just couldn't speak!

As we left to set off home for lunch, she began to whisper very quietly. The further we got from the school playground, the louder her voice became, until we were eventually out onto the street and my little girl was chattering away like anything. I couldn't shut her up all the way home!

The psychiatrist was very clear. My daughter has no learning difficulties whatsoever (if anything, she is overly bright). She is one of many children who suffer from this unusual disorder. The exact cause cannot be pin pointed. It is widely thought that low self esteem plays a part. One psychologist suggested it can happen to children who are bi-lingual. There are no definite determinants of the cause. It could be a number of things combined.

And now here we are, nine months later, and she's getting ready to take her first steps into the Swiss education system. The Teachers, Psychiatrists, Speech Therapist and myself are all confident that she will thrive in school. We're just not sure if she'll speak......yet!


We'll keep working on it though. We gently encourage but we don't push it. We let her express herself in a way in which she feels comfortable. We don't talk about the fact that she doesn't talk, at least not for now.

Here's hoping her confidence will grow over time, and with it her ability to overcome her fears. Until then, lots and lots of love, encouragement, and understanding are required.

For more information, go here

Patience

You must first have a lot of patience to learn to have patience...Stanislaw Lec

This is certainly true for me. I've never been known for my patience to be honest. As a little girl, I used to drive my parents mad with constant questions about 'how long until my Birthday?' or 'When will we get there?'
My own daughter is the exactly the same with me now, so I understand what my parents had to endure.

I'm not much better as an adult, to be honest. I'm always really eager to get things done. Some say this is a good trait and can have positive results. After all, from the moment I put pen to paper for the book - to today - has been a mere eight months. I guess once I got the idea to do it, I just wanted to move things along as quickly as possible.

Now the whole project is coming together, and I find myself sitting here filled with nervous anticipation. Only eight weeks to go, and the book will be released!

I don't know why I'm so impatient. There is still much to do. A feature article to be compiled, then accepted by the press. The cover design for the book, and not to mention the final tweaking and 'brushing up' of the website. There are publicity photos to be taken, media to plan....and a hell of a lot to learn about PR as well!

I'm learning by doing here, I might add!

Dr David Holmes, Forensic Psychologist and contributor to Web of Lies - My life with a Narcissist, is about to release his own book. It's called Abnormal,Clinical and Forensic Psychology. It's an educational tool, which identifies and analyses various personality disorders, including those described in my book. As he said himself in the comment he wrote for Web of Lies;

I have always emphasised the importance of real life case histories to the true understanding of dangerously disordered individuals. Being able to see their behaviour and thinking played out in the context of daily life enables untrained individuals to become slowly aware of the uneasy seam between their reality and our own.

Dr Holmes wrote the text book, I wrote a 'real life case history', and now they are both about to be published.

Perfect timing, I would say.

My hopes for this book are threefold:

Firstly: To bring the subject of Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and it's related disorders, to a wider audience, and to help overcome the stigma which surrounds both the afflicted and the affected.

Secondly: To give a voice to a person whom I believe was seriously wronged in her life, then slandered upon her death. She can no longer speak for herself, so I am doing that for her now.

And finally: To (hopefully) inspire those who have found themselves in a simliar situation to the one I was in. There are millions of us, the world over. And we all need some reassurance, that whatever it was which happened, it was NOT our fault, and it CAN be put right...with strength, and a little patience.


Roll on August 1st.

Truth, karma & spin....

Do you believe that the truth will always come out? Sometimes I wonder. Sometimes my faith in truth and justice is tested to the limits.

But surely, one day....the truth is always victorious.....right?

I'd like to say I'm a believer in karma. I certainly want to believe in it, but there are just some things which happen in this world which make me question the whole ethos upon which 'the justice system' is built.

How is it, that the so called 'justice' system sees a man get away with murder simply because he has the financial means to hire a team of top notch lawyers? Anybody who witnessed that particualr trial, or has since researched the case, would surely be horrified at what can only be described as a most shocking example of how money talks, to the detriment of any human decency.

The fact the accused then went on to write a book which describes (hypothetically of course) how he actually managed to get away with it, well, it's just staggering.

I wonder if karma will ever bite that particular individual on the backside? It remains to be seen. But will the truth ever be known? In this case, it seems not. I feel for the families of the victims.

Because, there's never, ever just the one 'victim', is there? Each victim is loved and cherished by somebody. The ripple effect dictates that the victims loved ones become victims too, and so it goes on......

The example given above is, of course, an extreme one. But then, we witness such examples on all too regular a basis these day, do we not?

Examples of 'cover ups' can be found in the Daily news, if you look hard enough. It's just a question of what you choose to believe. The truth, or the spin?

I question everything these days. Some may say I question things too much and look for problems or untruths where none actually exist. I prefer to think that life has simply taught me to treat everything, and everybody, with caution.

When presented with a sensational news story, I will always now try to look behind the headlines, and gather more information about what really might have happened.

I also try (wherever I can), to apply the same rule of thumb in real life. Maybe it's a result of the things I have experienced, but I do tend to look for 'means' and 'motive' in almost every situation I encounter.

I was once told that I added 'Sarah spin' to everything I said. I spent a long time pondering this 'accusation'. Was I 'spinning' tales about my situation?

What is 'spin' at the end of the day?

It is certainly not the plain and simple relaying of a tale, or the recalling of an event. But spin is not necessarily sinister either, it's probably just the way of the world. The trick is to recognise it when you see it, and moreover, to recognise the motivation behind the spin.

In the examples cited above, it is clear where the 'spin motivation' lies. It is there simply to distract us from the truth. To divert our attention and prevent justice from being served.

To relate spin to my own situation and my account (in the book) thereof, is trickier. I'll leave that for the reader to decide.

All I can say is this: Fiction is far more transparent and fragile than the truth. The truth does has a habit of coming out....eventually, and karma does invariably reach all those who deserve it. And with the truth, comes justice. And that, in turn, brings peace for the victims, and (over time) their loved ones.

We just need to be patient.

Money, Money, Money

Can anybody really imagine what it might be like to win a huge amount of money?

I think we all dream about it all the time (well, I know I do!). But can you seriously imagine what it would be like to have that much?

It would scare me half to death, and somehow I don't think I'd be telling the papers.

The thing is, money brings out the worst in people, it truly does. One sniff of it, and people start crawling out of the woodwork. And when it comes to money, people can turn ruthless. I know this from first hand experience.

It seems to affect our powers of reasoning. We turn into jealous crazed monsters at the thought of somebody possibly having something that we want, but just can't manage to get for ourselves.

I've learned some tough lessons of my own regarding money. I've learned you should be careful about who you trust. Even those in 'authority' are not always what they profess to be.

I've felt despair because of lack of money, and seemingly endless financial demands.

But I keep telling myself the same thing;

Money can't buy happiness. It may be an old adage, but it's a very accurate one. It can't buy happiness,nor can it buy peace of mind. And you won't sleep better at night with a full bank account, knowing you've taken that money from somebody who trusted you.

I'm under no illusions that book writing is going to make me a vast amount of money. I won't be giving up my day job any time soon, that's for sure!

I'd be happy to get through life knowing that I don't owe anybody anything, I reckon that would be enough for me.

That, and a clear conscience. The knowledge that I have never deliberately screwed somebody over for their money.

Fraud is my dirty word for this week. Sadly, it's all around us. It taints all those it touches, and it is born of greed and self interest.

So, let's ponder the words of one far more sagacious than little old me, just for a minute ;

There is no fire like passion, there is no shark like hatred, there is no snare like folly, there is no torrent like greed.

Buddha

Worth remembering, don't you think?

An important Anniversary

I remember the end of April 2007, my marriage was in its death throes. Life was pretty stressful, and it seemed my world was an amalgam of uncertainty and trepidation.

Then, at the beginning of May, something happened which completely took my mind off my own troubles, and made me realise that being a parent is a true blessing, and something we should never take for granted.

A little girl, the same age as my eldest daughter, disappeared whilst on holiday with her parents and siblings in Portugal. That little girl touched my heart, and following her story has, in many ways, changed my view of the world.

We all know her name, everybody on the planet knows Madeleine's name. The media furore which surrounded her disappearance was unprecedented, and will go down in history as the catalyst which sparked massive debate about the media, the power of the internet, and freedom of speech itself.

The intricate ins and outs of this case are widely available to those who wish to dig a little deeper than what's reported in the mainstream press. Following the case has certainly been an eye opener for me, in terms of discovering the shocking reality about how much the public can be manipulated by the press. Thank goodness information can be disseminated globally via Google and internet fora. For anybody who is interested, it doesn't take long to compare and contrast what's reported in the main stream press, to what's actually (and factually) documented in the witness satements contained in the Police Files, which were released to the media when the case was (prematurely) shelved back in 2008. More interesting to discover, is what's not been reported in the mainstream press.

My heart breaks for a little girl who was let down by those closest to her, and then again let down by the prodigious 'machine' which was created in her image. The person who needed help most has been forgotten amidst the PR, litigation and mud slinging from both sides of the fence.

Many books have been written about Madeleine's case, books which look at both sides of the story. But, one of these books 'The Truth of the Lie', written by the former Investigation Coordinator, Goncalo Amaral, has been temporarily banned from sale (pending a trial) following an injunction brought by Madeleine's parents.

Why?

Their argument, is that the conclusions in the book are detrimental to the search for their little girl, because he reproduces the theory that she most probably died in the holiday apartment, and that her death was covered up by her parents.

Now, whether or not these conclusions are correct, is entirely a matter of interpretation. The book details the police investigation as it was experienced by Amaral himself, as well as those in the team of detectives with whom he was working. It doesn't profess to be the gospel. It is a man relaying his own experience of the case, and the conclusions that he and his team arrived at.

Do we not all have the right to document our feelings and experiences as we lived and breathed them?

This is, after all, just one mans summary of the investigation. It's not fabricated or embelished, it sticks closely to the information in the police files. So why has it been banned?

Do we not all have the right to question certain events, and the way in which are presented to us? Are we not allowed to ask questions and demand honest and truthful answers?

How does one book stop people wanting to get to the bottom of what happened to Madeleine? Surely we should consider ALL possibilities, not just the one her parents insist we should believe?

Of course we should!

Today is the Anniversary of the Carnation Revolution in Portugal. It's the anniverary of a day upon which freedom and civil liberties were peacefully restored to an entire nation.

It's a day for celebrating freedom of speech and freedom of expression.

Nobody should be gagged for voicing an opinion. Even if others find their opinions abhorrant, they are still entitled to them.

As for the case itself, I wonder if we'll ever really know what happened. That little girl no longer has a voice, so it's up to others to speak up on her behalf. And it's up to us, the public, to listen to all the arguments, and draw our own informed conclusions.

There are two sides to every argument. I'm glad to be living in a day and age where I have the capacity and the tools which enable me to look behind the media spin, and make up my own mind.

Forca Portugal!