Today is the first day of school and while my oldest, Gardner, is now a First Grader cue tears he is still just six years old and I wanted to make his transition as seamless as possible for him. As many of you know he has autism, but after many meetings, testing sessions, and conversations with the school he doesn’t qualify for an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). He does have a 504 in place, which is basically a step below an IEP, but we all know how crazy the first few days of school can be, so to make sure that he had what he needed we did a few things to make his life (and his teacher’s life) a little easier.
How I was reminded to change my attitude about school this year
Remote learning for 9 weeks…. 9 whole weeks… at least! That’s the news we got last month about the re-opening of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yes, I know it’s safer for our awesome teachers and families, especially those that are at risk. Yes, I know that bringing the kids into school would both cost a lot more for cleaning and possibly put the kids at risk. Yes, I want to be a good citizen and protect others. However… NINE. WHOLE. WEEKS. TEACHING. AT. HOME. I was terrified. I AM TERRIFIED.
The autism diagnosis that set me free
As a parent, I never know if I’m doing a good job or not. And I won’t know until my kids grow up and leave the nest. For someone that suffers with anxiety and depression it can feel like so much pressure to try and do everything right. Did they eat enough vegetables? Am I teaching them the right things? Are they social? Did I let them watch too much television? Was I too hard on them? As a result, I constantly fear that what I do and say to my kids may or may not be “the right thing.”