We've Started Calling Too Many Things "Normal."

Lately, I've found myself thinking about one word that comes up almost every day when I'm talking with parents.

Normal.

It's normal for kids to be constipated. It's normal for them to be anxious. It's normal to struggle with sleep. It's normal to be a picky eater. It's normal to need another medication.

The more I hear that word, the more I wonder when we collectively decided that common and normal were the same thing.

Because they aren't.

Just because more children are struggling doesn't mean we should stop asking why they're struggling in the first place. In fact, I think it should make us even more curious.

Over the last decade, I've had conversations with hundreds of families, and although every child is different, the feeling parents describe is remarkably similar. They tell me they're exhausted. They've tried the recommendations. They've seen the specialists. They've changed the diet, bought the supplements, read the books, and searched Google at two o'clock in the morning after another hard day.

Then they look at me and ask, "What am I missing?"

I don't think they're missing another tip or another product. I think they're missing a way to step back and see the bigger picture.

That's one of the biggest reasons I built WellieWay and eventually wrote Built, Not Fixed. I became convinced that if we keep looking only at today's symptom, we'll spend years reacting instead of understanding. At some point, we have to stop asking, "What's the next thing I should try?" and start asking, "What has been shaping my child's health every single day?"

That question changed the way I look at health, and it's the foundation of the Conditions-First Method™.

I don't believe our kids need parents who are better at chasing symptoms. I think they need parents who understand how health is built in the first place. Those are two very different things.

Maybe it's time we stop confusing common with healthy. Maybe it's time we start asking better questions—not because every child has the same answer, but because every child deserves more than simply accepting struggle as the new normal.

Because healthier children aren't fixed.

They're built.

Keep building,

Nicole M. Liammari
Founder & CEO, WellieWay

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