Wings of Resilience

10/19/2026

When your child is struggling with their mental health, your marriage feels it too.

It's something I wish more couples would be transparent about.

When you're navigating appointments, therapy, medications, hospitalizations, safety concerns, and the constant unknowns, your relationship can slowly become less about being husband and wife and more about managing the next crisis. Conversations turn into updates. Date nights turn into appointments. And sometimes, by the end of the day, there's nothing left to give.

Research on families caring for children with mental health challenges has shown that caregiver stress can affect relationships and overall family functioning.

Here are a few things couples can do to help protect their relationship along the way. 💜

❤️ Recognize that you may carry different parts of the load

One parent may handle appointments and treatment while the other manages work, the household, and other children. Different responsibilities don't necessarily mean unequal commitment. But both partners deserve to feel supported.

❤️ Learn together

Mental health comes with a whole new language. Diagnoses, medications, treatment plans, and safety concerns can be overwhelming. Ask questions, share information, and make sure both parents understand what's happening.

❤️ Get on the same page.

Boundaries, expectations, communication, and safety plans work better for our children when parents understand the plan and support each other in following it.

❤️ Make room for your relationship

Your child's needs are important, but so is your marriage. Connection doesn't always mean a date night. Sometimes it's ten minutes of uninterrupted conversation, a hug, or simply asking, "How are YOU doing?"

❤️ Give each other grace

Stress, exhaustion, and fear can affect how we communicate. You're both human, and you're both learning how to navigate something you never expected.

And maybe most importantly...

Remember that you're partners, not just parents.

It's okay to acknowledge that this journey has changed your relationship. It's okay to admit that it's hard. And it's okay to ask for help navigating those changes together. You can love your child with everything you have and still recognize that your marriage needs love, attention, and care too.💜

👉For those navigating your child's mental health journey with a spouse or partner, what's one thing you've learned about protecting your relationship through the hard seasons?

👉If you're doing this as a single parent, we see you too. The need for connection, support, and someone to lean on matters just as much.

10/19/2026

💜 Wings & Connection | Staying Connected When Life Revolves Around Crisis

Today at our Wings of Resilience parent group, we focused on something that often gets lost when you’re navigating your child’s mental health.

Our own relationships, friendships, and need for connection.

This journey can be incredibly isolating. Friendships change, relationships become strained, and sometimes we’re simply too exhausted to maintain the connections we once had.

We wanted to bring a little piece of today’s group to those who couldn’t join us. 💜

This is a reflection exercise you can do at home, at your own pace. There’s nothing to turn in, no right or wrong answers, and nothing you need to share with anyone.

As you swipe through the graphics, take a few minutes to think about each section.

🦋 1. Where Am I Right Now?
What’s been taking most of your energy? How has this journey affected your relationships? What do you wish someone understood?

🦋 2. Safe People
Think about the people who make you feel heard, supported, and understood. Who can you lean on without feeling judged?

🦋 3. Maybe People
Not everyone can support us in the same way. Think about the people who may be able to offer certain kinds of support, even if they aren’t the ones you share everything with.

🦋 4. Our Boundaries
What boundaries would help protect your time, energy, and your child’s privacy? What do you need more or less of in your relationships?

🦋 5. One Small Step Toward Connection
What kind of support would help you right now? Think of one small, realistic step you could take this week to feel a little more connected.

💜 A few things to remember as you work through this:

You don’t have to answer every question. You don’t have to have everything figured out. And if some of these questions bring up difficult feelings, it’s okay to take a break and come back to them.

The purpose isn’t to remind you of everything that’s changed or what you may have lost along the way.

It’s to help you recognize where you are, what you need, and what connection could look like for you right now.

You matter in this journey, too. 💜🦋

10/18/2026

We’re getting together today! 💜🦋

If you’re raising a child who struggles with their mental health, you know how lonely this journey can feel. Sometimes you just need to sit with people who understand without having to explain everything.

Join Niki and me for Wings & Connection, a small, supportive gathering for parents and caregivers.

Today we’re talking about staying connected when life revolves around crisis—something so many of us know all too well.

You don’t have to share your story or have the right words. Come as you are, even if all you feel up to doing is listening.

📍 Laramie County Library
Third Floor • Windflower Room 3
🕚 Today, Sunday, October 18, at 11 AM

No RSVP needed. We’d love to see you there. 💜

10/16/2026

I Didn’t Know Your Name

For a young life lost, and a community left grieving.

I didn’t know your name.
I never saw your smile.
Our paths may never have crossed,
not even for a little while.

I don’t know the dreams you carried,
the songs you loved to play.
I don’t know the little moments
that made up your everyday.

But I know you were somebody’s child.
Somebody’s reason to smile.
Somebody’s favorite memory,
somebody’s whole world for a while.

And though I never knew you,
my heart still breaks today.
For all the love that surrounds you,
and the words we cannot say.

I think about your family,
and the weight of waking up tomorrow.
The silence where your presence lived,
the depth of unimaginable sorrow.

I think about your friends,
the memories they hold so dear.
The teachers and the classmates
trying to navigate the tears.

And I think about the children
who are struggling here today.
The ones who may be hurting
but don’t know what to say.

I wish the world were softer.
I wish love could heal all pain.
I wish no family ever had to know
this kind of heartbreak again.

But wishing isn’t all we can do.
There’s still love we have to give.
There are hands we can reach for,
and lives we can help lift.

So may we listen a little closer.
May we judge a little less.
May we meet each other’s struggles
with compassion and tenderness.

May we hold our children tighter,
but give them room to speak.
May we remind them that asking for help
is courage, not being weak.

And when the world moves forward,
as it somehow always will,
may our hearts remain open,
may our compassion linger still.

Because I didn’t have to know you
to know your life had worth.
To know your absence matters
to the hearts you touched on earth.

And tonight, I whisper a prayer.

Lord, wrap Your arms around her family,
in the moments words fall short.
Be near the friends and teachers,
and every heart in need of support.

Give us wisdom as a community,
and the courage to truly care.
Help us see the ones still hurting,
and remind them we are there.

For the family facing tomorrow,
for the children holding on,
for the teachers, friends, and parents
trying to find the strength to carry on.

May love be what we lead with.
May compassion light the way.
And may we never need another loss
to remind us to care today.

💜🙏💜🙏💜

-Alyssa

10/15/2026

Another opportunity to come together as a community!

This is a great opportunity to discuss the mental health challenges the youth in our community are facing and talk about how we can support them.

10/15/2026

Be the one to be there for your friends. Speak up and make a differ...

10/14/2026

09/26/2026

TODAY! We hope to see to there!!

You carry so much- But who’s checking on you? 💜

When your child is struggling with their mental health, it’s easy to put yourself at the very bottom of the list. You’re managing appointments, medications, school, work, siblings, crises… and the worry that never really shuts off.

This month, we’re making space for the caregiver.

💜 Wings and Mind — Mental Wellness
Who takes care of the caregiver?

📅 Saturday, September 26 | 2–4 PM
📍 Laramie County Library — Sage Room, 2nd Floor
☕ Drinks & snacks provided

Come sit with people who get it. You don’t have to carry all of it alone.

09/24/2026

💜🩵 DAY 23 | After a crisis, fear can change the way you parent.

Yesterday we talked about our kids not needing us to be perfect. They need us to be present. But after you’ve been scared you could lose your child, being present can quietly turn into being on high alert ALL the time.

➡️The bedroom door closes—you notice.

➡️They don’t answer their phone—your mind goes somewhere dark.

➡️They sleep more than usual—you wonder if they’re depressed.

➡️They’re suddenly in a great mood—and instead of enjoying it, you wonder why.

➡️They ask to go out with friends and your first thought is: “But what if something happens?”

This is a part of parenting after a mental-health crisis that we don’t talk about enough.
Your brain remembers what happened and sometimes everything starts looking like a warning sign.

So how do we protect our kids without parenting every moment from fear?

💜 LOOK FOR PATTERNS, NOT JUST MOMENTS.

One bad day isn’t necessarily a crisis. Sleeping late once isn’t necessarily depression. Wanting privacy isn’t automatically isolation.

✔️Ask yourself: Is this different from their normal? Has it lasted? Are several things changing at once?

💜 LEAN ON THE PLAN.

Fear can make us want to change the rules every time something scares us. A safety plan gives everyone something concrete to come back to.

💜 LET INDEPENDENCE COME BACK, TOO.

There may be times when safety requires more supervision and fewer freedoms. But as things stabilize, our kids also need opportunities to rebuild trust and experience normal life again.

✔️It doesn’t have to happen all at once.

💜 WHEN YOU’RE WORRIED, ASK.

You don’t have to spend hours analyzing every behavior.

“You’ve seemed different the last few days. How are you doing?”

And if you’re concerned about su***de, ask directly: “Are you thinking about su***de?”

Here’s something caregivers may need permission to hear👇

You may never parent exactly the way you did before the crisis. How could you? You know things now that you didn’t know before. You’re going to notice more. You’re going to worry sometimes.

The goal isn’t to stop paying attention.
It’s learning the difference between paying attention and living in constant fear.

We can protect our kids and help them keep living. We can take su***de seriously without making su***de the center of their entire life.
And just maybe that’s part of recovery for the whole family, too. 💜🦋