To share or not to share....

Whenever I've thought about doing a blog like this in the past, I have two opinions arguing with themselves in my head.

The first is that I do not have the right to share this information. That even though she is my daughter, that I should have to be very secretive until she's at an age where it can all be explained to her, and then she can decide who knows and who doesn't. And that it is no one's business. This would come with a lot of dilemmas.
 For instance, it would mean no babysitters. And while I certainly wouldn't put her in a more public daycare setting, that wasn't a very viable option. I need the sanity, reprieve, and...well...the ability to make money. She also needs the reprieve...sometimes by the end of the day together, even though she's still so young, we're fighting like teenage siblings! Plus, she's a very friendly kid, and that socialization is key. So...that required at least two people be told.
This would also mean that when we have company, that we'd have to be very discrete when it came to diaper changes, baths, swimming in her baby pool, etc.
I hope that she doesn't someday resent me for having made this decision on her behalf (well...yes, mine, too!)

Because my other argument is, and what has been proven in many cases, is that by keeping everything a secret will make her feel like she has something to be ashamed of. She doesn't. And shouldn't. And HOPEFULLY won't. If she wants to run around naked, in or outside....I am not gonna stop her!

A lot of our friends I've shared this link with already knew what's going on, like I said. But there are the ones that don't. I've gotten some pretty positive emails from some of you that definitely make me feel like this was the right thing to do, even though my heart raced nervously when I sent it knowing it would be new information to some. Thanks to each of you!

I don't want all this to be the focus of her life, certainly. But I'm pretty big on honesty, so it's even more important that it's not our (deep, dark, dirty) secret.
I also hope that at some point, this can show up in a search and be helpful to someone else, because I had to SCOUR the internet to find ONE family in our exact situation, with the same diagnosis.
Hell....maybe Oprah will find it and give us a free car or trip to Australia!
More important than whether I've made the right decisions so far, though, I hope she loves herself as much as everyone else does.