Comment by Lorena on September 22, 2008 at 12:30am

Ooh good one ! I can't wait to read your responses fellow alopecians. I did'nt get it until I was 22. My children were my life, my heart goes out to the parents of children with this disorder. Children can be so cruel to one another. And as a parent when your child hurts so do you. As an alopecian mother of two fine grown sons, I have instilled in my sons to look past the diffences and to see the heart of indivuals. I have taught them to walk a mile in someone's shoes before they judge. And always smile , it makes people wonder what you are thinking hee hee...

Comment by Linda on September 22, 2008 at 9:37am

Hi, I'll probably post again and again as I think of the effect on my life, growing up with Alopecia Areata had. Let me say that my family accepted it and we moved on. My Mother took me to many doctors in the beginning but when it was obvious the hair was not coming back, she would do my hair in ways that the spots did not show. I think acceptance by your family means a whole lot and not acting as if having Alopecia is like wearing a Scarlet Letter. Self acceptance is important, children are more likely to adapt if they are taught to accept who they are and know that they are loved by family and friends no matter what. Educating classmates...was okay, children can be cruel and you have those who will tease and make remarks that cause hurt feelings, but for the most part, my classmates, those who knew, where accepting.

Comment by Frank on February 8, 2009 at 11:48pm

Karen,

I have had au since I was 5. My family was supportive and great. Actually my grandma had it so everyone had some level of understanding. It was my experience that when I was really young... I couldn't have cared less about my hair, and really neither did the kids I played with or went to school with. But as I got older, and the world got bigger (high school, college, etc) that I needed more help with it. Unfortunately, I think that my family thought that I was all good to go. I had already had it for 8 years by the time high school came around. I was doing well in school, had plenty of friends. But there are life events that start to come on and having au will have an affect. I never will say its an excuse to not do anything, but its always there. And it pops up in what I call "this sucks" moments. As a guy... it was things like shaving (in my case not), or showering with the rest of the team when I clearly did not have a hair on my body, or dating. Whatever it is. None of these are huge, but they tend to add up. Make sure that your child has someone they can talk with and share how they feel. Maybe its you or maybe its someone they meet here or at the NAAF Conference, none of which was available when I was growing up. Having someone that they can really talk with and understand what they are experiencing is huge. A place to vent. I just thought I would have sounded like I was feeling sorry for myself venting to my Dad (and btw my Dad was awesome) and so I didn't. If I would have had another person there that was going through the same thing it really would have helped.

Comment