Teddy geiger
One late night, I felt an overwhelming sense of dread, loss, worry, guilt and grief. When I returned from Sicily, reality hit home. I had never in my life been rendered speechless until that moment.Įventually, I simply said, “Teddy is a woman.” Everything was about to change, and I had no idea what to expect.Įventually, I could hear my husband asking me, “How’s Teddy doing?” I don’t know how long I sat there with my cellphone still in my hand. No worries, all right?”, I said, reassuring myself more than Teddy. We’ll talk more when you get back to the states… OK?” I know this is a lot to take in right now, but one of the group sessions is starting and I have to go. What mattered was that we were given a second chance. Suddenly I didn’t care about the years lost or the decades it took for Teddy to finally feel safe enough to share.
Time, a safe setting, skilled therapy: It all helped to pull back the layers that had numbed this reality for so long. My child, at the age of 29, finally felt able to open up. At that moment, I felt overwhelmingly grateful. Addiction, anxiety, depression, behavioral issues. There were movies about kids living with these deep, dark secrets and all the horrible side effects caused by the fear and shame. So I just dealt with my feelings privately and would explore what made me feel normal and comfortable only in private… I never wanted anyone to know…. I never thought there was anything I could do about it. And then when I realized other people didn’t feel the same way I did, I felt ashamed and just kept quiet about it. I just figured everyone felt the same way. I just never gave it much thought when I was really young. “Teddy, when did you start to feel this way?” I was a horrible mother, even worse than I thought. How could I have not known? It was my job to know everything about my kids, to anticipate what they needed before they even knew. Heck! Time stood still… I’m not sure for how long.įinally I spoke again: “OK.
“OK.” I didn’t say it as a question or a statement. I finally manage to say one tiny word, both to Teddy and myself, spoken like a broken whisper. I feel like I’ve been pushed on stage in a play but I don’t know the lines." My mind raced, “Oh God, please don’t say ‘Mom’ again because I can’t answer… I want to… I want to say whatever it is I know you need to hear right now… but I can’t say a word. “Mom?” Teddy’s strong, calm, confident voice interrupted my thoughts. What could it be? Teddy sounded more clearheaded than I’d heard in years - no longer numb from the weed. “Mom?” Teddy had sensed my voice trail off in thought. “I’m good,” I replied, while my “momma mind” was busy trying to access what was worrying me. There was something in Teddy’s voice that made me take pause. So good to hear your voice! How are you?!” I had a million questions: How was the facility? What were the programs like? And most important: How was it going with addressing those problems? We explored and enjoyed ourselves, but three days before the end of our vacation, I was eager to return to our villa because it was the first time in two weeks Teddy was allowed to take phone calls.Īs my husband perused the travel guide to find a restaurant for dinner, I grabbed my cellphone and headed to the enormous baroque parlor, where I flopped down on the sofa. We stayed connected even when Teddy teetered on the brink of national stardom back in the early 2000s, and especially when Teddy stepped back from the spotlight and took his music career more behind the scenes. It was September 2017, Teddy was a couple weeks shy of turning 29 and living in Los Angeles, but we still spoke frequently. It was my oldest child, Teddy, and I immediately sensed something was wrong. The phone call came as my husband and I were preparing for a two-week trip to Sicily to explore my ancestry. Now, Teddy has been nominated for a Grammy Award for Song of the Year for co-writing "In My Blood," which Shawn Mendes recorded. More recently, Teddy has written music for Shawn Mendes, Maroon 5, Christina Aguilera and many others.
TEDDY GEIGER TV
Teddy co-starred in a TV show, Love Monkey, and in a major film, The Rocker, toured the world and became a teen idol. 8 on the 2006 Billboard charts, and the hit "For You I Will" reached number No. Pittsford native Teddy Geiger’s debut album hit No.