Mikey is afraid.

Mikey is afraid. Afraid of EVERYTHING!! Being along in his room, being downstairs without me or Leo, being outside in our nice fenced backyard, going to sleep alone, sirens, odd smells, alarms, most anything. This fearful behavior has me very worried. This is not a normal thing. Why is he worried? Has something happened to him to cause this distress? Mikey is a very bright boy, he understands and comprehends things that a 6 year old isn't ready to process emotionally. We have made an effort to have the TV off most of the time. This means we don't watch the news, scary shows, our screen time is very limited. We don't take the newspaper, we don't look at news websites while he is around, and lately, we don't even listen to the radio, just the i-pod. Mikey has an extraordinary vocabulary and can read virtually anything. When we are driving in the car, he reads billboards, the most concerning to him are the ones with the lost children. He sees the "have you seen me" notices on the wall by the carts at Wally World. Mikey is terrified of kidnappers and robbers. We have an alarm system installed in our home, it has to be one ALWAYS. Mikey is the keeper of the alarm system. How can I help my overly anxious boy to calm down? I am reading a book about anxiety in children to get some ideas on how to help him, but I seem to be at a loss. Reassurance doesn't work, extra attention and safety measures don't seem to work, so I am taking him to a psychologist on Friday. Will this work? I hope that it will at least help him open up and understand the world around him, help him know that yes, there are dangers around every corner, but that things will be OK. I love him and want him to be a successful man and I want to give him every opportunity to be successful.

Emotions

So many emotions, I don't even know where to start. Mostly I feel anger. Angry that I have to deal with this, that this is my "lot in life" I suppose. Angry that he can't freaking get over it and move on. Angry that our family is suffering because of this crap. Sad. Sad that Leo has to deal with this over and over, to feel that things are hopeless, to see that there is no light in his eyes. Fearful. fearful that this will just go on forever, that I may loose the love of my life to addiction. I visited with the Bishop not long ago, and he asked me if I thought Leo was sincere in his efforts of repentance. How am I to know? Leo is great at the confessing part, he has no problem doing that, it is the forsaking where the problem lies and only time will tell if "this time" is different. Bishop has given Leo a specific assignment to do on a daily basis, an "easy" assignment. Study the scriptures 15 minutes every day on a certain subject. The Atonement was one assignment, and the next was Virtue. Has Leo done his assignments? On his own, no. But with reminding he does it. WHY WHY WHY do I have to be a hand holder? Leo feels no sense of responsibility for this. Why can't he just do it? He claims that he "forgets" that he is just too busy to remember that he has things to do, that he committed to do something. Yes, I know he feels overwhelmed, that he feels like he can't do one more thing without breaking, but crap, "forgetting"? Whatever. Does one forget that they have to brush their teeth before going to bed? Or that they should use the restroom when they get out of bed in the morning? It's a load of crap and I don't buy it. I feel like he is being lazy and irresponsible.

Where to start?

So, I read a blog recently that recommended that you blog about what you are passionate about. What am I passionate about? My kids? Work? Housework? The Gospel? My husband? hmmmmm, that IS the question. I have really never been great at journaling, or talking to people, or letting down my freaking huge walls that I have built around me, so I am hoping that this blogging thing will help me get it out, let these pent up feelings that are roaring to be released, OUT. I have always had the fear of writing things down.... what if somebody reads it? What if they judge me? What if I get hurt, yet again, by just letting it all out. Maybe someone will find this blog, maybe no one will, but I HAVE to get it out. So, in answer to the question, where to start? I guess I shall start at the beginning.....

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, ( and as soon as I can figure out how to get things linked up, I will get a link to the official church website. If you would like to know more, go to www.mormon.org or www.lds.org ) being a member of "the Church" we are held to higher standards than that of the world. Articles of Faith 13: "We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." Pornography is wrong. It is a vise that in my opinion is worse than drugs. My husband of over a decade is addicted to pornography. He was first exposed to the filth when he was a young boy, around 6 years old. The father of a neighborhood friend had magazines around the house. Curiosity lead to many things in my husbands young life, many of which I didn't know of until the recent past. He experimented with gay sex ( when he was about 7 or 8) the boys saw it in the pictures and decided to try it. He played "hot dog and bun" with the neighbor girl. I am not sure if he just didn't know that that kind of behavior was wrong (he claims ignorance) or if he did know that something wasn't quite right, he just chose to ignore those promptings and chalk it up to "childhood curiosity". He tells me that his parents only ever told him that it was OK to be curious, but I don't think that to this day, they have any idea of what was going on in the young mind of their son. My husband was unable to build relationships with members of the opposite sex while a teenager, he use porn as an escape, idealizing women.... He used the excuses " oh when I am 12 and get the Priesthood, this will go away, when I get my Patriarchal Blessing, I will be able to get over it, when I go on my mission it won't be a problem, when I get married, and I can have sex, it will go away... when I have kids......." blah blah blah. He was almost sent home from his mission due to pornography, I think that he should have been sent home. when he came home he was not worthy to hold a Temple recommend.

When we were dating, and contemplating marriage, I found out his "dirty little secret" and really struggled with it. I prayerfully took it to the Lord and expressed my concern about starting a life with a man with such an ugly addiction. I felt in my heart and mind that I was suppose to marry him, and that we could be strong together, and that everything would be OK. Little did I know at the time how horribly wrong I would be. Maybe things WILL be OK in the next life, as this life IS the test.

Throughout or life together, I have felt terribly ugly, worthless, meaningless, useless. I have felt like a trampled rug. How many times can I go through the hurt that this continually causes me and our family? I knowingly married my husband, willingly married him in hopes of "fixing" him. (I have since learned that I can only fix myself, which I have been unable to do, as I am so preoccupied with how DH is doing.....) Oh sure, there have been good times, happy times, times when I think things are OK. It is all just a farce. We have seen Bishop after Bishop, counselor after counselor, both individually and together, with what success? NONE. What is it that I expect? Do I expect change? Sincerity? Respect? On more than one occasion, I have sought the advise of an attorney, but each time I remember that I knelt at the alter in the Temple of the Lord, and made covenants and promises that I don't take lightly. But, with that said, am I really keeping my covenants by being so overbearing towards my him? Am I really using the atonement for my own salvation? Am I really forgiving? Or am I just going through the motions, because that is what I am suppose to do, what I am expected to do. I am tired of being a hand holder. I love my husband, but am I in love with him anymore? I don't know.

Here goes nuthin'

Welcome to my blog. The intent of this blog is personal healing. I will attempt to gain a greater understanding of my life and the life of my family.