Time Out For Mom And Dad

Simple date night

Life with autism.  Just like any life, autism presents many twists and turns in life.  Sometimes other people hold the controls of my kids' lives, and that is difficult to accept.  Frustration and patience!

One lesson I have learned is that Mike and I need to take time together.  We rely on each other to get through the issues that autism presents, so we need to ensure that our relationship is alive and well.

Sometimes focusing on us helps me get through some tough times.  Like the other day.  Problems were mounting, and there was nothing more I could do but point them out to certain people who could correct them.  Nothing was immediately done.  Disappointment.  URRRGG.

I decided to surprise Mike.  With money lacking for "extras", I came up with a very simple date night.  Some candles, glasses, champagne, and a rose.  I sent a picture to his cell phone.  He said that I made his day.  Yea.

That made me happy! :)

The Battle Ends: Summer School Results

Summer school ended. Ryan and Nick both earned As in the computer class. Wish it were that simple!

The class was very frustrating for the boys and us. This class consumed our summer vacation time. We spent hours with the boys and their assignments. Ryan caught on fairly well, but Nick was extremely frustrated.

My husband and I shared Nick's frustration, but ours was directed at the teacher and administration. We met with the teacher and principal or vice principal several times. Our main concern was the content of the class, not the speed of the class. The course catalog described an introduction to the computer. Instead, this class demanded a creation of a small business, which entailed business plans and goals and much more. I won't go into the details here, but the frustration was really due to the administration focusing on the speed of the class, not content.

Before I had signed up the boys for this class, I had talked with numerous people at my boys' schools. I talked with counselors, psychologists, case managers, and teachers. They all agreed that this beginner computer class would help my kids throughout high school. It would also be a needed life skill. All were on board.

My husband conveyed this to the summer school hierarchy. The vice principal of the regular high school was called. (I assume this as we never saw her on the summer school campus.) She told the summer school principal that we never spoke with her.

I felt like I was thrown under the bus. After that call, the summer school administration refused to work with us, even though we had an IEP. They simply stated that "this is what we're going to do." We had no more say.

We could have hired an attorney and fought it. However, the energy and money to do so would have been more than we could generate. Maybe the school counted on that. My husband and I decided to spend that time and energy teaching the boys ourselves. THAT is why the boys earned As in that class.

This makes me rethink the home schooling vs public schooling. Parents always remain the primary educators, no matter what!