I Know What You’re Thinking:

Wow, that girl must have some issues, right??  I know some of you are thinking that, because I probably would have said the same thing.  But that was before.  Before I started educating myself on this disorder.  Before it moved in on my family.  Before when I was so small-minded and just plain ignorant about it.  The truth is, my little girl doesn't have any issues at all.  None other than the regular 4 year old girl issues!  She is very smart, funny, has lots of little friends, is happy, comes from a loving home with two parents that love her and love each other.  She just has an extra sensory need. Similar to the way you can’t stop biting your nails, she can’t stop pulling her lashes or brows out.  And she’s not alone.  1 in 50 people now have been diagnosed with trichotillomania.  The other thing we as parents need to understand also is, it's not our fault.  You didn't do anything wrong to cause this!  This has taken me a while to realize and believe myself, and will be a constant work in progress I'm sure.  As a mother it is only natural for me to want to find out why this happened, what could have caused it?  How could I have prevented it?  I cannot beat myself up over it.  I need to accept that my daughter was born this way.  Her brain has been wired to do this from the start, and nothing I could have done would have prevented it from happening eventually.  She will most likely battle this all of her life.  I will do what I can to help her through these difficult times and she gets older.  I guess that's why I started this blog.  To learn about what I can do to help.  Reach out to others and find out what works, what doesn't.  What to say, what NOT to say.  I will share our story and shed as much light as I can on what can be viewed as a dark and shameful topic.