So….I’ve been thinking lately….
(as much as my sad little brain will allow) How has all of this mold business affected our children (and countless others in their own moldy environments)? I read something recently that got my attention. I was reading the testimony of another mom that had been dealing with sickness in her home from toxic mold. I’m paraphrasing here, but she was talking about her kids and said, “Sometimes I wonder how they are really feeling. Maybe they don’t know how bad they’re feeling because they’re so used to feeling this way”. That, to me, is heartbreaking. Our children were pretty much born into mold and other toxins. So what are my children feeling? What have they grown accustomed to? What are they constantly dealing with that they just consider normal???
A few nights ago, Gideon had a nightmare. As Richard sat beside him and comforted him, Gideon began to describe his dream, “Daddy, you know when you lay down in bed and the room is spinning around?” Richard said, “Umm…no, Buddy, but I bet Mama does.” I asked him about it later. When did he feel that way? He said that would happen to him at the “yellow house”, our old house. He spoke of it like it was a regular occurrence. He also mentioned a few months ago that his ears have been ringing for a long time. Yikes! Vertigo and ringing ears! What else have they been feeling that they just couldn’t put into words. A few times Eden, our three year old, would pause in whatever she was doing, put her hand over heart and say, “I feel my heart beeping, Mama”. She did this a couple times when she was still two. Was her heart palpitating or fluttering like mine had been? Why else would she suddenly notice her heart? She hadn’t been running around, or that would account for it, but just sitting and playing.
And what about this Night Terror issue? For those who have children that regularly wake with nightmares and terrors. What is really going on? I think this can definitely be a spiritual issue. There’s no way around that. Fear is a definite weapon used by our enemy. But, another thought, what about the possibility of night terrors being in correlation with toxic environments. Before we moved, getting up at night with one child or another was definitely a regular thing. Some nights we would be up several times, every hour even, or more….We would never have considered mold being the culprit. But….mold affects our brain, nervous system, etc…It affects our sleep patterns. It affects pretty much everything. It makes sense now. Here in our new house, the kids are sleeping more peacefully. Other than Gibbie waking with a nightmare a few days ago, I can’t remember the last time we were up with one of them at night. When I consider how my own sleep was disrupted by all of this, it makes me wonder all the more what they were going through. I mentioned before that I had horrific nightmares, ones that still shake me today when I think of them. Now I can’t remember the last nightmare I had….
So, this, as well as many other things lately, has been very eye opening to me. I will definitely be looking into this more. I’m paying closer attention now. I do NOT want to be so wrapped up in my own sickness that I’m unaware of theirs….
On an encouraging note, we have noticed recently that our kids seem happier. They run around like crazy, playing together, giggling, bouncing off the walls, etc…People have asked, “Did you give them sugar???” Nope, no sugar…just healthier kids I guess…
