10 Things About Raising a Turner's Girl

Long time no chat blogsphere.  Things are unusually good at the Bowen house.  Strange.  Lots has happened since the last blog, maybe that's why I have been slacking on my blogging.  We moved last year back to my home town (Marshfield) and we are loving being back.  Lily started a new school and we held her back in kindergarten last year (BEST decision EVER).  James also started preschool this year.  I honestly don't think my kids will ever be allowed to go away to college.  They are both gone for 2 days a week for 2 and a half hours and I feel like an empty nester.  Time for another one.  Good joke!

 So in my 6 years of Turner's wisdom I feel like I have learned a few things about raising a Turner's girl, here's what I have so far.

1.  Teach your daughter she is not a baby and that height does not determine maturity, intelligence or beauty.  The best things come in small packages.

2.  Get to know her doctors, ALL of them.  They will be your best friend or worst enemy.  You entrust your child's development to them.  Don't forget that they get a Christmas present too for all those times they put up with helping you hold down your screaming toddler for more blood work.

3.  Become knowledgable on IEPs, they determine how great your child's education can be.  We are our girls only advocates.  It is up to us to get them every single last service they not only need but deserve.

4.  Let them play Mommy all they want.  Although biological children are not in our child's future encourage them to love those baby dolls to pieces and show them on a daily basis what it means to be a great mommy.  Medicine is evolving daily, who knows where it will be by the time our girls are ready to have their own children.  If not, adoption is a fabulous option.

5.  Help them make great friends at a young age.  If they can develop meaningful friendships at a young age then guess who is going to be there to help them defend themselves against the cruel "Queen Bees" in high school? The same kid that helped them wipe away their boogers from crying after a skinned knee on the playground in kindergarten.  Encourage their friendships now and you will be thankful when those friends are there 10 years from now.

6. Don't hide it.  It amazes me that there are parents out there that don't embrace their child being a Turner's girl.  Hiding it from family, friends and your community will only make your child embarrassed of their syndrome.  Turner's is never going away, teach your daughter she is unique, not a freak.

7.  Educate yourself.  It is up to you to know every single medical issue that falls under the TS tree;  Celiac's disease, hearing problems, learning disabilites, cardiac issues, etc. etc. Being ignorant about the syndrome doesn't make it not real, it makes you an idiot.

8.  Keep your friends close.  You will need them often.  They will be the only ones there to listen to you vent after that little shit boy on the playground called your daughter a baby for the 4th time this week, or after you get yet another diagnosis of something else "wrong" with your child.  Oh yeah, and they always have an extra bottle glass of wine after you feel like you just cannot keep going.

9.  Make them strong.  Make them stronger than another girl their age.  They need to be tough, really tough.  Kids are mean, and as some of us know so are adults, so teach them to live the old mommy saying of "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me."

10.  Love them.  Love all of them.  Love them as they scream at night getting their growth hormone shots, love them as they struggle with that simple math problem that you can't imagine not understanding, love them as they cry over eating all the veggies and still not getting taller.  Love every little piece of them always.

Merry belated Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone!

 Gingerbread babies!

Silly Kids

Lily & James

Happy Halloween!

Lily and her cousin Brandon!