Introduction -- From squishy butts and belly laughs to doctors and diagnoses -- We wish you knew -- "ADHD is just a focus things ... it's no big deal" -- What did I do wrong? -- Flexible shmexible -- Hello, principal -- Stop staring at me, bitches! -- Exhausted by 8:30 am -- Sex, seriously? -- United front -- To label or not to label, that is the question -- Speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy ... oh my! -- Sensory issues are more than just an itchy tag -- Please don't leave me -- Is that a sharpie? -- The party he wasn't invited to -- For the love of God, please leave! -- Taking to the bed -- Spring break? Christmas vacation? Summer? Oh God, please no! -- Moms raising special needs children are allowed to be fat -- The perks of having a kid with special needs -- Schedules, schedules, schedules -- Fakebook, I mean Facebook -- Is that a hole in your shirt? -- Not rain! -- Parenting with ADHD -- Mommy guilt -- I promise, we are not trying to be difficult -- Friends? What are they? -- Do yourself a favor, pop a pill -- The magic answer -- The struggle is real -- From active duty to reserves -- If you could see them now -- Acknowledgements -- Glossary -- Resource page -- About the author

Don't fall for the filtered pictures and perfect social media posts...Parents raising children with invisible special needs are hanging on by the tiniest thread.We NEED the support of our extended family and friends to get through our days filled with violent tantrums, challenging behaviors, and constant battles.The good news: Grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, neighbors and friends desperately want to help us. The bad news: their "help" comes off as insensitive or judgemental, making matters worse, not better. Julie Falcone is a mother in the trenches, raising four children diagnosed with autism, ADHD, anxiety, sensory processing disorder, depression, developmental delay and oppositional defiant disorder, who gives a brutally honest, behind-the-scenes look at what raising children with invisible special needs looks like on a daily basis. These Loved Ones get no-nonsense advice on exactly what to say and do in specific situations that occur often with these struggling parents