Behind the Tantrums: The Missing Piece No One Told Us About
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When Your Gut Says Something’s Wrong
There’s a specific kind of exhaustion that comes when your child is screaming at you constantly.
Not because you did anything to them—just for existing nearby. Breathing wrong. Moving wrong. Asking if they want a snack too cheerfully. The offenses are endless. That kind of exhaustion doesn’t just drain your body—it drains your spirit. It makes you question your parenting, your sanity, and sometimes your ability to keep going.
And while all toddlers come with their fair share of chaos, what we were experiencing with our son, Mackay—who’s now nearly six—took things to another level. The defiance, the outbursts, the intensity—it wasn’t just stubbornness or sensory overload. Something felt off. Like something had taken hold of his system and was distorting the way he experienced the world.
Mackay has Down syndrome, which adds some unique layers to our journey—but what I’m sharing here is for any parent who’s looked at their child and thought, this isn’t them. Whether your child is neurodivergent or not, if your gut is screaming that something’s not right, I hope this story gives you hope—or at least a place to start.
This is the story of what that season looked like for us—the grief, the desperation, and the product that changed it all. A tool that helped relieve our son’s suffering, and in return, helped relieve ours.
A breaking point came for me at a splash pad
I’d had outings like this before—but something about this one broke through. Mackay’s defiance had reached a whole new level. There was no play, no curiosity, no joy—just a relentless mission to disrupt everything around him. He wasn’t there to have fun; he was there to wreak havoc. He darted toward danger with a mischievous grin, intentionally interrupted other kids’ play, and refused every gentle redirection. It was chaos without purpose. And I was exhausted.
After several hours of this—of redirecting, chasing, blocking, hauling—I found myself lugging Mackay, all 60 pounds of him back toward our family, who are enjoying a peaceful lunch under a pavilion. My kids are built like their father—I swear they’re made of compact muscle and dense bone matter, which makes moments like this feel like I’m lugging a small linebacker across a battlefield. I’m stomping across the wet turf, dodging those sneaky little landmines about to blast water straight up my nether regions, all while trying not to trip over my own feet as Mackay arches his back like a possessed gymnast in a desperate attempt to escape my grip.
Meanwhile, every other mom is sitting under a canopy sipping LaCroix and talking about Netflix or how much they spent at Target that week. Their kids are splashing happily, completely ignored (as it should be).
Mackay is now screaming—blood-curdling, ear-piercing screams—like he’s being tortured or kidnapped, which of course draws even more attention to the full-blown spectacle we’ve become. And maybe I’m making it up, but for a moment, it felt like all their conversations stopped as everyone looked on with wide eyes and pity—like when you drive past a car accident. You don’t want to stare, but you just… do. And in my head, I’m mentally flipping every single one of them off for having a normal, quaint outing while I wrangle my feral child.
By this point I’m full-on sobbing—sweaty, hungry, and very aware that my swimsuit is clinging in all the wrong places.
Beneath the chaos, A Quiet Grief
This was the first time I truly felt it. Right there during that little public breakdown. The grief I had been bottling up—the grief of not being able to just pause… to sit and breathe, to enjoy my kids without being on constant high alert—finally cracked open. It spilled out in the form of hot, silent tears. It was in that moment the fear sank in—that maybe this wasn’t just a phase. That maybe this new version of my son—the angry, defiant, always-on-edge version—was here to stay. And that I would never be able to have a normal outing with my family or friends like all the other moms.
And that grief? It showed up for my husband, too—just a few months later, after a beach trip we had hoped would bring us peace. The beach had always been our place—our family’s reset button. But this time, it only amplified how hard things had become.
Three hours into our eight-hour drive back home, our family of five was crammed into the car, sitting in complete silence—because Mackay couldn’t tolerate anything. No laughing. No singing. No lighthearted conversation. Every sound, every glance, every moment of connection between the rest of us was met with rage.
My husband—usually the steady one—broke down. And I did too. For the first time, he opened up about his grief. He finally admitted how heavy it had all become, how powerless he felt. We both confessed how impossible it was to keep showing up the way we wanted to—especially for Mackay—when we were running on empty. It felt like it was taking a toll on everything: our marriage, the bond we were trying to build with our other kids, and the kind of parents we hoped to be.
Up to this point, we had tried everything. Meeting with Specialists. Doctors Appointments. Communication tools. New parenting approaches. Limiting screen time. Visual schedules. Different discipline techniques. Giving him space. Not giving him space. Every little “hack” gave us a 2% improvement—maybe.
His behavioral shift had started about a year and a half earlier, and it hadn’t let up since. What began as small changes slowly snowballed into something we couldn’t ignore. But underneath all of it? I had this gut feeling that this wasn’t just behavior. This wasn’t his true nature. Something had to give.
Taking Matters Into Our Own Hands
After that moment, we got desperate. And honestly? Desperation is an underrated parenting tool.
We started researching environmental toxins and how they can impact behavior in children. One thing we kept coming across? Heavy metals. Lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium—they’re not just scary words from a science textbook. These metals can actually interfere with neurological development, gut health, and immune function, especially in children.
Even scarier? They’re everywhere. Found in things like pesticides, old plumbing, food additives, nonstick cookware, artificial colors, and even the air we breathe. While all children are vulnerable to heavy metal exposure, research suggests that neurodivergent kids—including those with Down syndrome, autism, or ADHD—may be even more sensitive to these toxins. Their systems sometimes have a harder time detoxing naturally, which can result in things like mood instability, sleep disruption, hyperactivity, and yes—extreme behavioral shifts.
That's when we learned about zeolite, a natural volcanic mineral that binds to heavy metals and toxins in the body and helps eliminate them gently. We started experimenting with different zeolite and heavy metal detox products made specifically for kids.
The Turning Point
We started seeing major changes in Mackay.
His behavior began to stabilize. The purple bags under his eyes started to fade. He was sick less often. His eyes looked clearer—brighter. He looked clearer. It was like the fog lifted, and the Mackay we knew—the one full of affection, joy, and light—started to show up again.
We tried a few high-end brands at first. Some were over $90 for a tiny tincture bottle, and while we did see results, they started to feel gimmicky. The marketing was loud, the claims were bold, and we just couldn’t keep up financially. So we did more digging.
Eventually, we found a brand on Amazon that had the same exact idea, same high-quality ingredients, and the same noticeable impact on Mackay—but for a quarter of the price. And honestly? It’s given us everything the expensive brands did—without draining our bank account.
That’s not to say it fixed everything. We still have a wildly stubborn boy who feels his emotions deeply and gets frustrated and discouraged—just like any of us. But now, those moments feel like him, not something hijacking his system. The anger isn’t constant anymore. The sweetness has space to return.
What We Use (and Love)
Zeolite Detox Drops for Kids – Affordable, effective, and the one that finally made a difference.
Zeolite isn’t like a traditional parasite cleanse that you do a few times a year and then stop. It’s a gentle, natural detox that binds to heavy metals and toxins and helps your body eliminate them gradually—making it safe for daily, long-term use. For kids who are constantly exposed to environmental toxins or who have a harder time detoxing on their own (like many neurodivergent children), zeolite can provide consistent support. We give Mackay 1-2 ml a day, and he actually likes the taste—no bribing, no hiding it in food, no drama.
If you're looking for additional support, a gentle parasite cleanse may also be worth trying. Check it out here! It’s something we added in later, and we noticed it further supported Mackay’s mood, sleep, and overall regulation. (recommended to do 2-3 times a year)
If you're in the thick of it and nothing seems to be working, I gently encourage you to give these products a try. It made a huge difference for our son—and honestly, what can it hurt? Sometimes the most life-changing shifts come from following that quiet, persistent gut feeling.
I’m not here to just make a buck—I’m here to help ease suffering. That’s the whole purpose of my website: to share real, holistic, soul-rooted tools that have helped our family, in hopes they might help yours too. We’re still learning, and there’s always more to explore.
If you're curious about conscious parenting, emotional healing, or other supportive tools, you can explore more through my blog and recommended resources. True stability comes from within.
These tools have helped me find the inner stability and peace that no external circumstance can bring which has helped me show up in a more grounded space in motherhood.
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My Children's Books on Emotions & Self-Love – Thoughtfully crafted stories to help kids embrace their feelings and build confidence. Check them out HERE!
Mindfulness.com – A powerful resource for guided meditations, mindfulness practices, and tools to help you stay grounded and present. Find it HERE!
Online-Therapy.com – A comprehensive platform offering cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) tools, daily journal prompts, yoga, and live sessions with licensed therapists—all in one place. Start your healing journey HERE!
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle – A life-changing book that explores consciousness, presence, and inner peace, teaching readers how to break free from mental noise and embrace the present moment. Discover it HERE!
🌙 Thank you for being here — trust what’s rising within you and keep unearthing your true self.
🌿 Rooted in gratitude, KELSEY!!!!
