The First Day of School...
Well I think I have been "off line" for the longest period of time ever the past couple of weeks. It wasn't because I didn't have anything to write about. Moreover it was the same stuff and as much as I say I get tired of reading my whining it is only a small percentage of how much I really do hate to read my own whining. And frankly I have been very busy.
1st-Corey's new daycare is going to be like others in the past...not a traditional after school but one that keeps special hours. This will mean extra days around the holidays that a traditional daycare would cover his will not, the same will hold true for spring break, and also summer break. So last week his new daycare was closed. It would have been nice if I had known about it before Friday that I needed childcare for the following week but, sigh what are you going to do? So I scrambled with my hours...V and I took turns working half days and switched off trying to minimize our time off as much as possible.
2nd-Corey has become VERY clingy. He has always preferred to be with me and it took a few years for him to be comfortable with overnights with V. But since his return this summer he has been impossible in that regard. I thought he would need my reassurance that we were back on schedule. And I tried to keep him with me while still making it clear that he would spend a couple of nights a week with V. But in Corey's mind now staying with V means not coming home for 3 months and he is not having that.
3rd-Apathetic...Every year I try to minimize Corey's reaction to change. I know what he is going to do. He does it every year and every year I go through the same woes and it doesn't seem to matter how much work I put into it, the end result is always the same. Every year without fail I get to the 1st day of school without reliable after school so I have to give transportation my address until I can secure after school, this never happens until 2 or 3 days in and it takes transportation 2 to 3 days to make the change. So the 1st week I am always running around either leaving work early or asking V to. Every year I meet with the teacher I give them the run down...the dos and don't s the things that I know will set the tone for the entire year. So this year was no exception I went in to meet with his new teacher. I had to insist because I kept getting the run around on when it would be a good time to stop by. You see this guy "knows" how to handle things and the last thing he needs is some over protective mom coming down to tell him anything...sigh. So I get down there Friday afternoon and he has already left. Now most would have stopped here...they would have stopped after 3 phone calls, after a week and a half of running all over town with childcare issues and missing work...hell an entire summer of it really. They would have said fine and left it alone. And at 1st I did say fine. I met S for lunch at the mall and I took Cam to the movies for the last day of summer. I knew they would call me though...I knew it would be right after lunch and I knew Corey would suffer because they didn't know what was up so yeah by last night the over protectiveness had taken over again. And I started a journal...another thing I wind up doing every year. And I put the 8 things you need to know about Corey to have a successful 1st quarter. I sent a couple of things I knew would work as rewards if a situation got out of hand and I gave them my cell number and V's. I told them I would be happy to meet with them at any time. Well about 1:30 I got the call I knew I would get from the school. It was the school psychologist..."Corey was great this morning but after lunch he became very aggressive" ...Me "did you read the note I put in his book bag" the psychologist "you left a note?" Me "yes it's in a green composition notebook with please read me in big black block letters" So she asks me to hold on and then comes back with a very subdued voice.
Yep just about everything that happened I had warned them about in the journal. UGH! UGH! UGH!!!! Why do I even bother? Why not just accept that I will be without childcare the 1st day of school, the teacher is going to call me, and I am going to be out of PTO before Thanksgiving and unable to take off around the Christmas Holiday? I mean when am I going to learn?
But I should add as a footnote...Corey did catch the bus this morning without incident (wonderful especially for the 1st day)...Cam when asked what grade he was in by V told her I am in the 5th...it took me 5 years but I finally made it ;) And V covered for me by switching her hours so she will be able to meet Corey's bus this week...Not bad really just the regular annoying stuff. And the summer is officially over...And better still I survived...And I am still employed even ;)
1st-Corey's new daycare is going to be like others in the past...not a traditional after school but one that keeps special hours. This will mean extra days around the holidays that a traditional daycare would cover his will not, the same will hold true for spring break, and also summer break. So last week his new daycare was closed. It would have been nice if I had known about it before Friday that I needed childcare for the following week but, sigh what are you going to do? So I scrambled with my hours...V and I took turns working half days and switched off trying to minimize our time off as much as possible.
2nd-Corey has become VERY clingy. He has always preferred to be with me and it took a few years for him to be comfortable with overnights with V. But since his return this summer he has been impossible in that regard. I thought he would need my reassurance that we were back on schedule. And I tried to keep him with me while still making it clear that he would spend a couple of nights a week with V. But in Corey's mind now staying with V means not coming home for 3 months and he is not having that.
3rd-Apathetic...Every year I try to minimize Corey's reaction to change. I know what he is going to do. He does it every year and every year I go through the same woes and it doesn't seem to matter how much work I put into it, the end result is always the same. Every year without fail I get to the 1st day of school without reliable after school so I have to give transportation my address until I can secure after school, this never happens until 2 or 3 days in and it takes transportation 2 to 3 days to make the change. So the 1st week I am always running around either leaving work early or asking V to. Every year I meet with the teacher I give them the run down...the dos and don't s the things that I know will set the tone for the entire year. So this year was no exception I went in to meet with his new teacher. I had to insist because I kept getting the run around on when it would be a good time to stop by. You see this guy "knows" how to handle things and the last thing he needs is some over protective mom coming down to tell him anything...sigh. So I get down there Friday afternoon and he has already left. Now most would have stopped here...they would have stopped after 3 phone calls, after a week and a half of running all over town with childcare issues and missing work...hell an entire summer of it really. They would have said fine and left it alone. And at 1st I did say fine. I met S for lunch at the mall and I took Cam to the movies for the last day of summer. I knew they would call me though...I knew it would be right after lunch and I knew Corey would suffer because they didn't know what was up so yeah by last night the over protectiveness had taken over again. And I started a journal...another thing I wind up doing every year. And I put the 8 things you need to know about Corey to have a successful 1st quarter. I sent a couple of things I knew would work as rewards if a situation got out of hand and I gave them my cell number and V's. I told them I would be happy to meet with them at any time. Well about 1:30 I got the call I knew I would get from the school. It was the school psychologist..."Corey was great this morning but after lunch he became very aggressive" ...Me "did you read the note I put in his book bag" the psychologist "you left a note?" Me "yes it's in a green composition notebook with please read me in big black block letters" So she asks me to hold on and then comes back with a very subdued voice.
Yep just about everything that happened I had warned them about in the journal. UGH! UGH! UGH!!!! Why do I even bother? Why not just accept that I will be without childcare the 1st day of school, the teacher is going to call me, and I am going to be out of PTO before Thanksgiving and unable to take off around the Christmas Holiday? I mean when am I going to learn?
But I should add as a footnote...Corey did catch the bus this morning without incident (wonderful especially for the 1st day)...Cam when asked what grade he was in by V told her I am in the 5th...it took me 5 years but I finally made it ;) And V covered for me by switching her hours so she will be able to meet Corey's bus this week...Not bad really just the regular annoying stuff. And the summer is officially over...And better still I survived...And I am still employed even ;)
Labels: autism, blogging, corey, parenting, single life
posted by Cat at
5:17 PM
7 Comments:
A veritable triumph under the circumstances my dear!
Best wishes
I mean when am I going to learn?
Umm, that's the question that I was asking myself.
I mean, you know, if the same thing happens all the time, then maybe the problem isn't with the teachers anymore...
[smirks and ducks]
Glad to hear it wasn't more of a drama.
School is enough to make steam come out of our ears. We haven't even started here and I am already headachey with it all...
Cam's a hoot. This summer when my dad asked my younger son how he managed to get almost straight A's on his report card, Jonathan said "Sheer luck." :)
You're doing everything right, it's gotta sink in eventually with the teachers... right? :)
Pretty sad when you have to re teach the teachers every year. Glad you survived, and even keep your job. Now you just need some play time and you'll be all set...
be well Cat.
mcewen-I thought so too :)
tom-I must admit I think about the definition of insanity more and more as the years go by :)
serenity-they are ridiculous aren't they? I had to shake my head this morning when R (Corey's new teacher) called me on my cell phone. "Umm I was just wondering when we could get together and discuss Corey?" Oh NOW you want to meet? How about the past 2 weeks when I virtually begging for a meeting? Now school is back in and my PTO is hanging by a thread and you want to meet...during the day of course because god forbid anyone make anything convenient for me. But I am glad we survived the 1st day. And I guess I should let Corey handle the staff ;) He seems to be much better at getting them to see the light.
Fusion-thanks...I really could use a play date...hopefully things will settle down this week so D and I can schedule one.
We go through the same thing with Katie every year as well. And I send letters and instructions too. Katie has been a dream child this past month, happy, easy to get along with, very little aggression. We upped her risperidone and it worked like magic. Hope your school year gets better and Corey settles in.
As for why you don't learn, it's not that you don't learn it's that your still hopeful. Hang in sweetie.
It's so hard isn't it???
It takes four people to make sure my kids are watched for after school. And not one of those four is my hubby.
I got tired reading your post ... I really have no idea how you do it.
HUGS!
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