Hi Sam, I am a parent to 10 year old. Being parent is an emotional roller coaster of all of us out there. And then you have NMO. My daughter was 8 when I was diagnose with NMO and my parenting style had a major shift. So initially I was parenting, the way normal parents do, then came a phase where I was "omg I won't see my daughter grow" thanks to google and became overly clingly with her. And now I am little less harder on both of us and are making memories, living each day. She is thoroughly aware about the complications with NMO. We have our hospital visit together. She is aware about how mental health works. I have been told that its wrong for me to expose her to all the harsh reality. My version is , she is becoming independent and will know how to deal with things. There is no point in hiding stuff. Its an everyday normal routine as a parent, but I make her aware about things a lot more , and include of fun activities and travel included. warmly Noor (Peatient Leader)