ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 140 - Picking the Brain of a Rare Disease Dad - with CTNNB1 Dadvocate - Casey Parks
CTNNB1 Dadvocate Casey Parks, is back to talk about life and how things are going so far in 2022.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Can you share about your career and how you show up for that in addition to being a dad?
I'm a senior deputy prosecuting attorney and I ask juries to convict criminals of the crimes they've committed. I currently work in the county domestic violence department and deal mostly with assault and other domestic violence crimes. I love my job, but I have to be present and it takes a toll. I have to get in a specific mental headspace when I come home from work in order to disengage from trial and be present for my family. It's very hard to do.
Do you feel like you're killing it at work and killing it at home or do you feel spread thin and feel like you're not doing a great job anywhere?
There are days that I stare at the computer, trying to do the grunt work necessary to be an effective trial attorney, and it's hard to focus because I'm burned out. And it's the same at home- there are days when I am short and I don't feel like I'm doing a good job.
What's the biggest surprise you've learned about yourself as a dad?
The amount of patience required to deal with everything we have to deal with as rare disease parents. The behaviors Ford has difficulty controlling that aren't his fault require unreal amounts of patience. I realized that I didn't have the level of patience needed and it was a shortcoming that was surprising to me.
What are your healthy and not-so-healthy coping skills you use through your mental health journey?
A healthy skill is realizing when I need a break and communicating that. I try to get together with my friends once a month or so to play games. I take a break during the day to get outside and walk or get something to eat or a cup of coffee. Some unhealthy things include when I eat unhealthy foods, sit on my phone and sit like a couch potato when I should get up and exercise or something else that better maximizes the use of an important time capital.
Do you think it would be helpful to connect with other rare dads?
The way I am and the way I've always functioned, friendships need to function organically. I'm not the type of socialite to go out and introduce myself to people because I want to be their friend. That's not something that's helpful for me, but if I were to meet someone organically, I think the presence in my life would be good to have a sense of connection.