Kid great, Parents dropping
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| Mon, 10-30-2006 - 6:35pm |
Well, Malcolm continues to thrive, and dh and I are near dead.
We had a great Halloween weekend of parties and playdates, and now are looking forward to Trick-or-Treat tomorrow night, in NYC we go up and down Broadway to all the stores, hundreds of other kids/families out in costumes, it's quite the fun night. And we are going with ds' girlfriend (fiancee...) and her mom. Malcolm is dressing as a Pokemon, way cute and all the other kids seem to love his costume. His girlfriend is dressing as an adorable black cat and is very good at playing the part as well.
We are slowly looking at schools, one every other week, nothing likely to work out soon, maybe for next Fall.... We are homeschooling and still plodding through sea of chaos and crossed wires with trying to get home services through BOE, one step forward, 3 steps back. Speech guy started and he's very good, will finally get OT sessions started later this week or next at a sensory gym, only took over 2 months. If this situation really continues a long time, dh and I will likely need to look into hiring tutors at least a few hours a week, as keeping this level of labour up while also both working full time is really wearing on us, so if we had help with overseeing the schoolwork, we could relax a little more.
We think about selling our apt. (we could make a mint) and moving away, in despair over the horrid state of affairs now in our beloved City. But at the same time we honestly cannot imagine taking ds away from his dear friends that are like brothers, the girl he loves and wants to marry, his therapist (who is terrific), his horse back teacher and Tae Kwondo sensei and all the other people who love him. Not to mention dealing with selling and finding a new house and packing and moving... and anyways, to where?
I think I will now look into anti-depressants, for the first time. I know I am VERY depressed. I slow to a complete halt every time I run out of my pressing immediate list of things to do, and I can barely plan my classes or clean dishes or even think about Xmas or my brother's upcoming wedding. I sob through my therapy every week, then get up and start all over again.
But the kid is doing very well, better every week, doing his schoolwork, playing with his hamsters, hanging with his pals in afternoons and on weekends. Dh has had to build a whole new level to his relationship with his son, as they have to spend much more time together while I work, and that is very cool. Malcolm actually doesn't want us to find him another school LOL
Sara
ilovemalcolm

Sara,
(((((hugs))))))
I think the tutor thing sounds like a Very Good Plan, You live near
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Oh Sara, just sending you hugs. I don't have any advice, but I know how hard you have been working with homeschooling and everything else. I am glad Malcolm is doing well, but worried for you too.
I think the tutor idea sounds good, since you and your family love the city so much, if would be a shame to leave.
You are not alone. Not that it helps, but here in Miami, we hear that once you get past elementary school, things get rough with the school system. Many people home school. Several of my friends and I have already started thinking about the future (our kids are still pre-k). We think when the time comes we might pool our resources for a tutor who will work with 3 kids and we'll take turns hosting.
Just a thought, I know Malcolm has a lot of friends, do any of them homeschool too? Paula also had quite an idea there, thinking "out of the box." She is so smart!
Hang in there Sara, I can feel how tired and worried you are. You have done so much and it is a credit to you and your DH that Malcolm is doing so well. But you need support too and maybe a tutor is the way.
More hugs,
Katherine
Same here, Hugs out to you. Sounds like a rough spot but you have really made it through all this very well thus far.
Paula's idea was really interesting. SOunds like you have to go really outside the box.
Here is another outlandish, crazy, super nuts, probably will kill you all idea. Since you guys know a number of other kids with ASD and alot of therapists, how about seeing how one goes through setting up thier own school? Perhaps you all could create a school that would meet your needs, provide a good option for spectrum parents in the city, and perhaps even become eventually at least a small source of income for Malcolm's therapies, etc.
Nuts I know. But you guys seem the type that could do it and it seems you have practically gone there already with the homeschool headache.
Renee
((((Sara))))
With everything on your plate, I'm not surprised you are crashing!