Peggy Ployhar

“It’s like God is a bird and He laid an egg, and that is me, and a snake has come and swallowed me up.”

This was the response given by my 6-year-old son, when I’d asked him what it was like to be him.  The words he uttered cut straight to my heart.  Even almost two decades later, that moment is seared in my memory.

It was tough enough realizing my son was struggling with depression at such a young age.  But, what made the road ahead seem even more bleak, was since I had been his age I’d silently battled the same enemy.

 

It was tough enough realizing my son was struggling with depression at such a young age.  But, what made the road ahead seem even more bleak, was since I had been his age I’d silently battled the same enemy.

 

My Own Struggle with Childhood Depression

My way of coping with my depression growing up was to mask it, try to fit in, and deal internally with the guilt and shame of always wishing my life would end.  Growing up, my family was strict in their religious practices, and although it was never verbalized perfection was idolized.

The fact I didn’t measure up was always before me.  No matter how hard I tried, my social inadequacies because of my autistic tendencies, constant anxiety and sensory issues were glaring evidence. In the face of my academic success, I was far from achieving sainthood.

 

Climbing Out of the Pit

I carried this guilt, shame, and striving for perfection into my young adulthood and early parenting years.  My thinking had been off center so long, I didn’t even realize I had begun healing 6 years prior to my son’s admission.

My climb, out of the pit of depression towards recovery, had begun when I had accepted Jesus Christ into my life, allowing Him to heal my broken past.  But, 6 years into this climb, I had only ascended far enough into the light to reveal how deep I still was in the pit.

My view was far from encouraging.  And then, without warning, I found my son in the pit at my side. Hopelessness overwhelmed me.  I did not understand how I was going to get my own self out.  And now, I was tasked with helping my son to make the climb with me.

 

Series Highlighting Childhood Depression

There many lessons God taught me and my children as we battled against this silent enemy called depression.  Depression is a subject few Christians want to publicly address, especially childhood depression.  But, even though we tend to not talk about depression in children, the statistics are more alarming every year.

.For these reasons, we have posted a series  about childhood depression, regarding the warning LIGHTS to be aware of and the guiding LIGHTS which lead to healing, joy, and the defeat of darkness

 

Links to All the Blogs in this Series

 

Looking Into the Face of Childhood Depression

 

The “L” Factors of Childhood Depression

The “I” Factors of Childhood Depression
The “G” Factors of Childhood Depression
The “H” Factors of Childhood Depression 
The “T” Factors of Childhood Depression 
The “S” Factors of Childhood Depression

 

 

 

 


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