They united as they worked to support their daughter. Their children were their common ground and they set aside differences about everything else looming over them. They knew it was temporary, they knew they'd eventually need to deal with what was expressed, and their refusal to compromise over something so fundamental to their individual identities, but for now they were careful not to start an argument and settled into old patterns of talking about everything but the issues breaking them, and using their touch to communicate how they felt about the other.

That morning they sat in Dr. Lainey Winters' office. It was the morning after Addison had her first session and Lainey had time to review all of the data that had been collected by Addison's pediatrician and the anecdotal records she had from her session with Addison and the conversation with both her parents. Addison was at school and it would give them both time to process anything that came up before they shared what they learned with her.

"Ned, Alexis, thanks for meeting with me. Addison is an impressive young woman."

"She is." Alexis agreed. "Was she receptive? Because it took convincing to get her here at all."

"She was. And after meeting with her, going through all the information you provided and the self-report form Addison completed. I've made a diagnosis."

"A diagnosis? We aren't looking for any labels. We just want her to be happy and healthy." Alexis said.

"Having a name for it, learning about it, it's all part of learning how to manage the anxiety she's feeling on a day to day basis."

"I guess that makes sense. What do you think?" Ned said, understanding.

"Based on the diagnostic criteria I think Addison has a Generalized Anxiety Disorder. And although not formally recognized as its own diagnosis, I'd say she most likely falls into a subset of that disorder referred to as high-functioning anxiety."

"An anxiety disorder? Really?" Alexis was surprised it rose to that level.

Ned took his wife's hand. He knew that she saw parts of herself in Addison and was probably over analyzing it as they talked, blaming herself, but it wasn't her fault and they weren't the same. She was grateful for the show of support and let him know when they made eye contact briefly and she squeezed his hand.

"It can come on gradually. Usually identified at adolescence. It's likely that the stress of what's happening to her now intensified what's always been a part of who she is." Lainey continued to explain as the two tried to process the news.

"So what do we do? How can we help her?" Ned asked, he would do whatever his baby girl needed and he knew Alexis would also.

"You already are. You got her here and she knows you love and support her. In fact she was adamant that she thinks her family is her biggest source of support. Alexis, she mentioned you specifically, so whatever you're doing, keep doing it. Don't let her avoid situations that cause her to worry. And be there and encourage her to talk about her feelings."

"We can do that. We are doing that." Alexis said, reassured their daughter felt supported by her family.

"I can tell. She's very articulate. She's perceptive and knows herself. I'd like to keep seeing her. Help her build a tool box so to speak. Things she can do when she recognizes she's feeling anxious. Hopefully prevent another panic attack."

"Can this impact her performance at school? She works tirelessly, and she's so hard on herself. If there are things we should advocate for, we want to know. Did she talk about school at all?" Alexis asked, knowing the school had concerns early in the year.

"I can't disclose what she talked about specifically. But trust your instincts. I can tell you that anxiety can impact our working memory, especially in those moments when it's taken hold. And working memory is linked heavily to performance in math. When someone then puts pressure on themselves to over-achieve, and strive for perfection; well it can create a cycle that's difficult to break."

"Everything you're saying. It's her. That's her," Ned said.

"Did you tell her any of this?" Alexis asked.

"I named her perfectionism. But I didn't tell her about the official diagnosis. She's a minor and what you tell her, that's your decision. But I strongly advise that you let her know and talk openly about it as a family. It will help give her some agency and we want her to feel empowered."

"Thank you. This was helpful." Ned said as the conversation started to come to a close.

"You're welcome. If anything comes up, please reach out. Otherwise, I'll see you next week when you bring her for her session."

Later that morning Alexis was sitting at the kitchen counter on her laptop. She should have been working, but instead she found herself looking up anxiety disorders. The more she read, the more questions she had and the more answers she found, the more she worried about her daughter. "What are you working on?" Ned asked as he entered the kitchen and approached her.

"Research. There's so much out there about this. It's hard to sift through all the statistics. All the things she's now at risk for. Why isn't this talked about more?" Alexis asked.

"I don't know. Hopefully that's changing." He said as he placed his hands on her shoulders and kissed the back of her head.

"The risk factor for anxiety disorders doubles for girls and there could even be a genetic component." She turned and faced him. "What if this is my fault? What if she inherited this from me?"

He closed her laptop. He knew she was blaming herself, looking for answers. "This is not your fault."

"It's totally my fault." She said upset.

"Honey…" He sympathized and tried to wrap his arms around her, but she pulled away.

"No, look at how I behaved after she was born and then there was my childhood. I was painfully shy as a child, Ned. I closed myself off from relationships out of fear and it took me years to figure out how to manage the constant worry that something I did or said was going to cause people to leave me. I survived by throwing myself completely into law school. By working. I want more for her."

"Alexis, your story is different, it's spurred by trauma."

"It's the same feeling, the fear and constant worry, the inability to stop yourself from spinning every worst case scenario, no matter how unrealistic given the circumstances…"

"But there is a difference, you had to figure out how to survive Helena, how to cope with the fear all on your own. Addison doesn't have to do that, what she's facing is not the same. And most importantly she has you. She has both of us."

"She does." She agreed, and took a deep breath. Her husband was right. Their daughter wasn't alone. She didn't have the same obstacles.

"Our daughter is not going to be a statistic. She's strong and she's resilient."

She was thankful for him. He always knew just what to say. "I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you to keep me grounded."

"Which is why you are going to listen to me right now. We're going to put away the research, ok? Nothing good will come from that. We're going to trust the experts and we'll navigate this together, like we've done everything else."

She nodded and let him take her in his arms. He was right, she knew he was right.

That afternoon, before their kids got home from school, he thought she was working in their office, but he found her sitting in the living room looking through a photograph album. He himself had been distracted all afternoon, replaying moments with his youngest, wondering if they missed signs that could have helped her sooner. Wondering if maybe they had seen it, she would be more confident and less seemingly isolated.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked as she looked up from the photo album and he sat down on the arm of the chair she was sitting in, draping his arm along the back.

She looked up at him, "Do you remember the summer we signed her up for her first sleep away camp? She was so homesick."

He nodded, "And I wanted to let her come home. But you were adamant it would help build her confidence."

"But did it? Maybe I was wrong." She had been playing back every moment she thought she was doing the right thing. In those moments she was sure they did, but now she was second guessing every parenting decision. She knew Dr. Winters said her daughter felt their support, but maybe, just maybe she had missed something.

"It was the right decision." He replied and took the photo album from her. "I keep thinking about the day I took the training wheels off her bike. She was absolutely ready."

"She was."

"It took days before she trusted herself enough to try."

"She wouldn't let you leave her side." She smiled at the memory. Ned by their daughter's side, helping her balance assuring her he wouldn't let go and then he did and when she realized she was doing it on her own..the smile on her face was priceless.

"We thought it was normal."

"It was." She assured him. It was clear he had spent the afternoon doing the same thing. Thinking through every moment.

"How did we miss this?" He asked, genuine.

She paused and thought about his question, "I don't think we did. We just have a name for it now."

"Do you remember this?" He asked, pointing out the photo of their little girl covered in birthday cake. "This was her second birthday, right?"

She smiled and nodded. "Looking back it seems like life was easier then. We didn't think it was. In fact there were days we thought we were crazy for having three, for having another baby when we had a toddler and a second grader, but I'd give anything for them to be that little again. When a hug and a band-aid could fix just about any problem."

"I'm glad we had three. Addie, she completed this family. I can't imagine our life without her in it."

"Me either. I can't imagine our life without any of them." She said as he turned the page and stopped on a photo of their three children sitting out by the lake on a sunny summer day.

"She was maybe 4 in that picture?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"How do you think she's going to take to hearing about this?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm certain between the two of us we can help her understand this doesn't change how amazing she truly is." Alexis said as they turned the page in the album and continued to revisit memories they made as a family.

That evening they found Addie reading on the couch in the living room. Alexis went and sat next to her daughter, while Ned sat in the chair closest to them. "What are you reading, sweetheart?"

"The Great Gatsby." She answered as she looked between her parents.

"A classic. One of my favorites, actually." Ned responded.

"Really, Daddy? Why?"

"Yes. We can talk about it when you finish. Wouldn't want to spoil anything."

"I'd really like that."

"Then, consider it a daddy/daughter day planned and ready to happen whenever you're finished."

Alexis smiled at the two of them. Ned had always been such a great father to his daughters. He was a wonderful father to Owen as well, but there was just something special about watching him bond with his girls.

"Do you guys need something?" She looked between her parents as they sat there.

"We just want to check-in with you, peanut. That's all." Alexis said as Addison put her book down and sat up, pulling her legs underneath her.

"About…?"

"How did you feel about your session with Dr. Winters?" Ned asked.

"It was helpful, I think. You aren't going to ask me to talk about what I said are you? Because Dr. Winters told me that was private. That you didn't need to know, unless she was worried about my safety."

"No we aren't and yes it is." Ned confirmed.

"Good. What exactly did she tell you? You met with her, right?"

"We did and we want to share what we talked about with you. If you're up for it." Alexis answered.

"I am. It's ok."

"She told us that all those anxious feelings you have, that they are a part of something called Generalized Anxiety Disorder." Ned stated. They had agreed with Dr. Winters and planned to be as transparent as possible.

"A disorder? I'm not normal?" Addison worried.

"It's just a name, sweetheart Don't get caught up in what it's called. It just means that you need to learn to rewire some of your thoughts. That's all." Alexis tried to comfort her daughter, and wrapped her arm around her.

"She told me I was a perfectionist."

"You are." Alexis confirmed. "That we could have told you without Dr. Winters."

"Well that doesn't sound as bad as a disorder. Why do they name things like that? Telling kids who can't stop worrying about fitting in that they have a disorder is like fueling every worry they have about being normal."

"You have a point. Is that what's happening right now? Are you worried this will change things for you? That it will change how we and others see you?" Ned asked.

"Yes."

"It doesn't. If anything it gives us all answers that can help you feel good about yourself again." Ned explained.

"Like how?" Addison wasn't so sure.

"Like the fact that when you're feeling anxious, it can make it harder to remember things." He focused on math. He knew she would see how it impacted her there the clearest.

"It really does, Daddy. But how does knowing that help?"

"It means that when you ask Mrs. Ryan for extra time in math, she should give it to you."

"And she can't just call on me and pressure me to answer?" Addison hoped.

"That too." Alexis said as she played with a strand of Addison's hair. "And we're going to make sure these things happen for you."

"Can you do that? You're my parents, not my teacher."

"We can. There are laws to protect you in this situation." Alexis assured her.

"Please don't go sue the school or do anything crazy. It's not like I'm failing."

"Your mom is your fiercest advocate, princess, but no we are not going to sue the school."

"You've known what you needed this whole time and now we have what we need to make sure you get it." Alexis said, in awe of her daughter.

"I'm not stupid?" She asked, relieved.

"No, you're not. Are you finally starting to see that? You're so intelligent, Addison. Please start believing us when we tell you that." Ned said, her question breaking his heart.

"I'll try. I love you both so much. Thanks for standing up for me."

"We love you, too and we'll never stop advocating for you. Count on that." Alexis said as she pulled Addison into a hug and kissed her forehead.