Our Life is Different Now

The day after I got back from my trip to Kenya, MMI's teacher and I had discussed giving him a higher protein diet during the day. (She has had enough of his shenanigans as well) He had had a better (I say that loosely) day. So day two we tried again. When I went to pick him up, she told me he had an amazing morning, but that after lunch, he was the worse he had been in a LONG time. What did he have for lunch? I always pack a pretty healthy lunch of whole wheat bread, natural peanut butter, juice, and some cracker style food. What was wrong with that? WAIT A MINUTE.... he bought lunch. MMI proceeds to tell me the list of things he had for lunch and that he had chased it with a slushy, a cherry one.

His teacher then tells me that one of the other teachers swears that her daughter is allergic to RED 40. So I went home and did some research and googled RED 40 Hyperactivity. Man, I was surprised. This article entitiled, Is the Red 40 Food Dye Additive Having a Negative Impact on Your Child?, is the one that sparked my attention. 

It's MAD MAN I to a T.

The behaviors listed yesterday were not taken from the American Academy of Pediatrics for ADHD, but from a site called Feingold.org. The program is about taking food coloring, flavoring, additives, preservatives and aspartame out of ones diet. There are many of us who are extremely sensitive to these things and the effects can be harmful!

At Southampton University in England, 153 3 year olds and 144 8-9 year olds children were included in the study. Their conclusion?

"Artificial colors or a sodium benzoate preservative (or both) in the diet result in increased hyperactivity in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the general population."

That did it.

We joined the Program, and received the book called, Why Can't My Child Behave?, plenty of recipes, a two week food plan, a guide to fast food, and a shopping list of foods that have NO artificial colors, artificial flavors, preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, and NO sodium benzoates. Foods containing salicylates are also asked to be taken out. This is the hardest part of all. Many of the fruits we eat daily are on this list. We can introduce them back one by one in 2-3 more weeks.

So he has been free and clear (and the rest of us are slowly turning over) for three weeks. He has had one bad day at school and one tantrum in THREE WEEKS.

There's more.

He's still nuts. He still runs around the house with his PJ shorts pulled up like a Sumo wrestler screaming, "I'm a Sumo Wrestler!!!" The difference is, when he runs into his little brother, he doesn't go ballistic and blame, well, anybody. Usually this would turn into a head to head match, which would turn into a Category 5 hurricane.

THAT WOULD BE NORMAL.

And I am happy to say there is a new normal. I have slowly converted the entire family over. New snacks, organic meat, and healthier versions of Mac N Cheese, cheese quesadillas, and cookie and cakes. It was extremely tough the first two weeks though. Making two different sets of meals ( I didn't want to throw away meat or pasta that the other members could still eat), telling MMI, "No honey, you can't have this or that...",and the hardest one, keeping sane through it all.

I was really stressed out just thinking about the change. The cost was the biggest one. But my life is less stressful now that MMI is not on the rampage. The first few grocery store trips were insane just trying to find the acceptable brands he can have. We are talking a three hour tour of Whole Foods!

I feel blessed that I am not going through this alone.

My neighbors DIL is taking this journey with me with her five year son. It has been so nice to just have someone to joke with about having to "go to the store once again to buy..." Thank you NM for taking this journey with me!!

It is so amazing to have MMI back. He is present in his pure form. He is smart, funny and truly inspiring. Only 10 days into the program he said to me, "I'm happier because I can do what my brain tells me to do." I was in awe.

The next step for me is forgiving myself.

All the things the two of us have gone through. So much drama and so much anger and resentment on my side. It will take a very long time to erase my voice in my head telling him to, "just stop it, why can't you, just calm down, you can just stop, just control yourself," and the list goes on and on. All the while I was unknowingly pumping him up with the very poison that was causing him to act this way.

I feel lucky that we found this out so early. I am grateful to his teacher Miss V for saving us. I am blessed to have the husband I have to support me through this frustrating time of conversion. But I am so truly thankful to have my son back. He is an amazing and hilarious kid.

I guess I need to change his online name now.

Goodbye, Mad Man I, Hello Funny Man!

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