My sweet little girl is coming back!

This is Aliyah and a coworker enjoying the local fun fair that our center was a part of....Aliyah loved riding in the horse drawn carriage. The above picture is the expression she had when she saw her dad arrive....

So, for the past 8 or so months, Aliyah has had some really tough behavior issues. I racked my brain to figure out what was going on...was it my parenting, was it a growth stage...it got so bad that I decided I had to do something. I felt very bad, especially since I am a developmental therapist and every day deal with challenging behaviors from kids her age, but I just couldn't do it anymore....i was frustrated...so I called our local Child Development Services (I didn't even cry when I talked to them)! I got hooked up with a psychologist who has been sent my God....he has helped us so much with the way to deal with her behaviors, how to help her sleep (she sometimes doesn't go to bed until 11:00 and we get up at 615!!) So, this weekend was a three day weekend and we spent every minute together and it was GREAT! We had fun hanging out, playing games, watching Barbie movies and just being together. She had a few meltdowns, but nothing compared to what it used to be.....She looked at me on Saturday afternoon and said, "Mom, you make my heart happy, I love you!" I was speechless, but felt the same way. When I saw my mom on Tuesday, I told her that it was nice to be able to enjoy your child and not feel trapped in a world of anger and frustration on both of our parts! She is coming back!!!!! I feel like God sent me a message, "Never be afraid, ashamed, embarrased to advocate for anything your child needs"....I wasn't afraid and she is getting the help that she needs!