Mindset Shifts for Staying Positive When Kids Are Diagnosed with Medical Conditions

My kids were medical kids. Seriously, Claire's first five years of life were peppered with diagnoses, doctors, specialists and surgeries.

After the stillborn loss of our first daughter, I worked hard to keep all her medical struggles in perspective, repeating this mantra daily: At least she’s here. At least she’s alive to struggle.

But when we finally got the all clear for her acute needs, I breathed a very deep, very overdue sigh of relief.

So when Caroline, our youngest, came home from preschool one day with a note from her teacher that she was worried about her “lazy eye”, I looked at my husband and said, “Oh boy, here we go again.”

The pediatric ophthalmologist was a gem of a doctor with the kindest smile who often joked that we should just rent a room at the clinic for we were there - a lot.

Three years of patching later in an attempt to strengthen the muscles around her eyes we found ourselves prepping for our 6 year old to have double eye surgery. 

I’ll be honest, there were times that staying positive, hopeful, and upbeat was extraordinarily hard. But it was what she needed to see and feel from us. I mean, as worried as I was to send my daughter in the operating room, she was downright terrified.

Mastering our mindset in times of medical challenge is hard. Listen to the full episode My Child Has Been Diagnosed With a Medical Condition. Now What? below where I share more details of our journey, how to become your child’s best advocate, and care for yourself at the same time.

Cara Tyrrell, M.Ed is mom to three girls, a Vermont based Early Childhood Educator, Collaborative Parenting Coach, and the founder of Core4Parenting. She is the passionate mastermind behind the Collaborative Parenting Methodology™, a birth-to-five, soul and science based framework that empowers toddler parents and educators  to turn tantrums into teachable moments. Through keynotes, teacher training, and her top-ranking podcast, Transforming the Toddler Years, she’s teaching the 5 Executive Functioning Skills kids need to navigate our ever-changing world.