Quiet

As I've mentioned before, Danielle is away at respite.

It is amazing how quiet the house is now.  The stress level is lower, I've slept better, and even our pets seem happier.  My wife and I have been able to get a taste of what life used to be like, before children.

Animals are affected by the emotional timbre of the home in which they live, and it's clear our avian friends are more content than usual.  There is less screaming, less feather picking, and more beak grinding.

It won't be long before Danielle comes home.

I feel anxious about it.

I feel anxious, because we have some new worries about Danielle's safety at home.

No, that's not entirely true.  We are worried about our own safety. 

We had a locksmith come and install a locking doorknob on our bedroom door.  The key matches the lock to our home office, and athough the lock isn't strong enough to keep a determined burglar out, it will be enough to slow our child down (and for us to wake up) if she decides to harm us while we are sleeping.

After the locksmith left our home, I couldn't help but think, what a terrible situation we are in.  Nobody should have to live this way.  Nobody should have to be so afraid of what their child might do that they have to install a lock on their bedroom door.

We have an appointment to meet with Danielle's new therapist.  We will meet with her alone, while Danielle is still away at respite, and then they will begin meeting after she returns.  We will, of course, share our concerns, and the disturbing things we've discovered.

Will this therapist help?

I don't know.

It's hard to hold out a lot of hope when so many others have failed.

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When Danielle comes home from respite, I know that more than anything else, I will miss the quiet.