We have just returned from a holiday at the beach for a week, during which time I was reminded just how beneficial Bright Eyes' medication is.

I had been reducing his dosage and was down to .5ml per day. We packed for the holiday but unfortunately I forgot to put in the meds bottle. "Oh well," I thought, "we'll just see how it goes."

It didn't go well. By day two, my Pop, who was staying with us at his beach house, could vouch that his anxiety was through the roof. Every tiny plan, every transition made him completely uptight and his noisy, throaty voice, which I haven't heard for ages, was raised at least six times in the day. 

He wouldn't go to the shops, he wouldn't go to the surf, he wouldn't sit at the table to eat, he wouldn't eat now, he had to eat later... it was a big disaster.

On day three, my dear husband drove the two hour round trip home to retrieve the medicine. By day four, everything was back to normal. We had a happy boy, a calm holiday and proof that the meds do work.

To top it all off, we spent a day at Jamberoo Rec Park today, which two years ago, left Bright Eyes highly uptight and strung out. Today, he coped with everything, even long, long queues for rides. He jumped off a 5 metre high rock half a dozen times, and when it came time to go, he protested less than his brother. In fact, along with one or two, "I'm not goings", we also heard a few "It's really disappointing to go," "See you later Jamberoo" and "I'm sad about going." Wow!