You are here: Home / Archives for Parenting 101 / School

Better Safe Than Sorry

April 17, 2013 By

Jack has missed a ton of school lately. So it goes for the kid with Leukemia, right?

The week before last, which was his Spring Break, Jack spiked a slight fever and was diagnosed with an ear infection and ruptured eardrum. This happened the day before we were all due to fly to Maryland to help out my sister’s family with their new baby. Jack ended up staying behind with his dad and step-mom while David and I flew out to Maryland. We were heartbroken that Jack couldn’t come with us. It felt wrong to go without him but ultimately we figured out we wouldn’t likely be able to all go if we postponed anyway. And babies are only new for so long!

Jack’s ANC (the measurement of his immune system’s ability to fight off infection) was on a steady decline due to the infection. He was borderline neutropenic (551 – the neutropenic threshold is an ANC of 500) on Wednesday and very low energy with sweats, so I made a judgment call to keep him home.

So he missed most of last week and he’s only been to school one day this week. He’s finished with his antibiotics and ear drops but on various days has woken up complaining of aches and pains or, on Monday, feeling “like I have disgusting liquid going up and down my spine.” I have no idea what that means but it sounds crummy!

He had his monthly clinic appointment on Monday afternoon; he had an exam, a chemo infusion and blood drawn for labs. His ANC had rallied to over 1,000 and the doctor confirmed that his ear was healing. Yay!

Yesterday he went to school, but he’s out again today due to stomach pain, an earache (in the other ear!) and a “watery throat feeling.” (Can you imagine calling into work with that excuse?) It seems he’s sickly more often now, despite having come through last year with flying colors. Perhaps it’s the accumulation of over a year of treatment?

Jack usually doesn’t ask to stay home; instead, I’ll overhear some “ow”s or see him clutching his side or notice that he is getting overly frustrated about something small like putting his arm through the sleeve of his jacket. Then I ask him what’s going on and it’s like pulling teeth to get that info out of him, particularly if it’s anything related to the bathroom – he is so incredibly embarrassed to talk about that. In fact, he asks me to forget it was even mentioned! So I assess his symptoms and determine if there are any medicines he can take – tylenol, claritin, tums, etc… Sometimes, like today, I ask if he wants to try to go to school and see if the medicines kick in and he feels better (sometimes distraction is the key!). In the past we’ve tried just taking him to school but a couple times ended up turning around halfway there anyway so that he could go home and throw up… He rarely has fevers so there is not a very clear indicator of whether he should stay home.

Even more confusing is the fact that Jack is like the opposite of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Hell, he barely mentioned his ear bothering him before he was diagnosed with a ruptured eardrum! The kid seems to have a high tolerance for pain. (I’m pretty sure he gets that from me. The day I got a concussion and still considered whether I could make it to work comes to mind…)

Sometimes Jack stays home and feels better within an hour or two. Most of the time he’s mildly ill and just needs extra rest. Rarely does he actually have an actual illness that requires quarantine. So it’s fairly often that I struggle with the idea that we’re jumping the gun on keeping him home.

When your kid has a life-threatening illness, though, you pretty much live and breathe the motto “better safe than sorry.”

Luckily, as noted in the recent 504 meeting with the school, he’s doing great at keeping up in school. He’s getting 100% on his tests and assignments. The biggest problem with him missing school is the stress it causes him – despite how well he’s doing, he worries a lot about falling behind. He’s such a worrywart!

Despite feeling under the weather, Jack worked on some schoolwork his teacher sent home and finished four pages at home today. At the very least, his willingness to do the schoolwork reassures me that he’s not trying to play hooky in some elaborate reverse psychology scheme. Hopefully I’ll have a few more years (and we’ll have cancer out of the way!) before he pulls something like that.

Filed Under: Cancer, Cancer Mom, Illness, Parenting 101, School Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Leukemia, Section 504, and Education Planning

April 11, 2013 By

I met with Jack’s first grade teacher, the school principal, and the district nurse yesterday to discuss a 504 assessment for Jack. If you aren’t familiar, Section 504 is part of the Rehabilitation Act that protects students with disabilities. Since Leukemia is a chronic, life-threatening illness that impacts his learning, working, and performance of manual tasks, he qualifies as disabled. Once a 504 assessment is made and it’s determined that a student qualifies, an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) is typically created to address the student’s needs in school.

Obviously, it’s taken me a while to get in gear and ask for this. The irony of requesting this assessment now is that Jack has caught up to his peers in most areas of concern since he started back to school in October. With that said, he is failing Physical Education, missing quite a bit of school, and his self-esteem and confidence are low. His stress level is difficult to manage even on a good day.

I was nervous going into the meeting. Not only am I still getting used to being an advocate for another person – a person whose needs have changed dramatically in the last year – but I’ve also read complaints about parents’ frustrating experiences with schools when enacting 504. I worried that I might get pushback from the school because Jack really is performing well. Thankfully, the school officials were all very understanding. I feel like we are off to a good start in helping to get Jack some relief.

In our hour-long meeting, I summarized Jack’s medication and treatment routines, explained how his health and side effects of treatment can impact him on any given day, and shared my concerns related to the challenges these things present to his education. Mainly it boils down to the fact that Jack puts forth so much additional effort in order to meet standards because of these challenges that it has compromised his emotional health and feelings about school.

We recorded the following challenges that impact Jack’s ability to learn:

  • Sensitivity to temperature changes
  • Bone and joint pain, soreness
  • Catheter in chest
  • Lowered muscle definition
  • Difficulty with coordination
  • Delayed reflexes
  • Shortness of breath
  • Dizziness
  • Weakness/fatigue
  • Attention/focus impacted by chemo treatment levels
  • Monthly steroid impacts mood and ability to cope with expectations
  • Medication taken at school, can get headache near time of receipt

Based on these things, the school will make accommodations for him to aid his learning in the following ways:

  • Additional time to complete assessments and assignments
  • Extra opportunities to repeat and explain information and directions
  • Extra time to respond to information and questions
  • Teacher will provide parents with work when child can’t attend school (to be completed if he feels well enough)
  • PE accommodations, such as alternate responsibilities/tasks
  • Teacher will remind Jack to eat and take snacks to accommodate his lack of appetite and slowness/distractibility when eating

This plan is a bit vague, but it should be enough to give the teachers the ability to customize the help they give Jack without making it a big production in front of his peers. I’m hoping that the additional understanding of Jack’s health issues from his teacher’s will take some of the pressure off of him and maybe that will even result in less self-injury! That’s my hope anyway.

I felt so relieved when I walked out of that office! I alternately wanted to cry and giggle hysterically. I didn’t have to push for any of this and it felt like I was part of a team that has Jack’s best interests at heart. There are people who have access to things that I don’t and they are going to help my child – we aren’t alone and we don’t have to spend tons of time blindly fumbling around the educational system.

Instead we can spend our time blindly fumbling our way through the parenting of our chronically ill kid! It may be a small victory but I will take it!

Filed Under: Cancer, Cancer Mom, Issues, Parenting 101, School Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Things I Wish He Could Know

March 27, 2013 By

This morning on the way to school, Jack expressed frustration over his interactions with the other kids at recess. He has a really good buddy that he plays with, but he complains that the boy wastes playtime by spending too much time planning (and thus little time actually DOING). I tried to give Jack tips on how he could negotiate more playtime with his friend, including the idea that he suggest they take turns selecting and planning their play. He then said if he were to take that kind of stance, he was afraid he would be acting “too grown up.” And the other kids would know he wasn’t grown up!

I was a little taken aback. After all, when I was a kid I wanted to be grown up! Grown ups had the power, man. And, well, I was the big sister so I was used to being in charge and leading a group. Jack’s only done this by accident – he avoids being in charge and then gets upset when things don’t go his way.

I had a hard time explaining that if he wants to affect how things are done, he needs to act a little grown up sometimes. He doesn’t need to wait for someone to ask if he wants to take a turn – he needs to speak up and let people know.

He has no idea that if he just took the lead, others would follow. He has an innate ability to be a leader but he doesn’t realize it at all – which just makes him more appealing as a leader.

He ended up getting frustrated and upset with me. His reaction to my ‘help’ made me bite my tongue and reflect on the aspect of my personality that he seems to have inherited – a stubborn refusal to listen to others who tell you what you *should* do. (My little sister has this trait, as well. Maybe it runs in the family!)

Why should I do it that way? Why can’t I do it my way? There can’t be only one right way! I’m going to figure out a way that works for me!

And so, I had to acknowledge that my my kid is reaching a point where he is not looking to me for all of the answers. He is more solidly his own little person and he wants to think for himself and learn how things work instead of being told. And his intellect is at a place where he can piece a lot of things out for himself. I need to step back and let him do that. The more I try to ‘help,’ the more he will do the opposite of what I suggest.

Just like me.

It’s a little sad. There are so many things I’ve learned that I wish I could just TELL HIM. I wish I could save him the time of figuring these things out. Maybe he’d get where he needs (or wants) to be more quickly! Maybe he could have greater success than me.

But since I can’t tell him (even if he listens, he’ll either think I’m full of BS or he’ll become a young tyrant) I figured I’d write it here – the life lessons I’ve learned (and yet do very little with):

  1. Confidence will get you (almost) anywhere – even fake confidence. If you act like you know what you’re doing, people will usually believe you!
  2. Fear of an obstacle is usually the biggest thing holding you back – not the obstacle itself.
  3. You can usually get away with winging it – everyone else is making it up as they go along, too.
  4. Most people are too busy worrying about themselves to notice that you’re worrying, too. And those who are overly concerned with what you’re up to are going to run into their own problems pretty quickly.
  5. It’s better to try and fail than it is to live with the regret of having never even made the attempt. (You might have succeeded.)
  6. It’s pretty miraculous that people manage to stay alive. Seriously.
  7. You’ll be amazed by how often success is accidental.
  8. There are a lot of people out there who will want to hold you back for no reason at all. Don’t be one of them.

I know there are more and they will come to me (probably while I’m driving or trying to go to sleep), but this is a good start.

What do you think about my list? What wisdom would you impart to your child if you could?

Filed Under: Growing Up, Parenting 101, School 2 Comments

Almost Spring

February 22, 2013 By

So, it’s February. Barely so – it’s closing in on March quickly! And I will mostly look back on the first two months of 2013 and not remember what the hell I did with my time.

But! Jack got glasses a week or so ago. We found out he is very farsighted and so now he has a pair of glasses with very thick lenses. It bummed me out a bit – another thing for him to have to deal with, and the glasses hide his gorgeous long eyelashes. But his vision shouldn’t worsen with age (this is a genetic thing and not cancer-related) and he can now read more easily and quickly! And this should mean less headaches for him, as well, which I know he’ll appreciate.

The adjustment to having glasses has gone surprisingly smoothly. Jack doesn’t normally handle transitions well, but with the glasses he tends to forget he is even wearing them and I have to remove them at bedtime. His classmates chattered a lot about the change when Jack showed up at school, but as far as I know there haven’t been any problems with teasing.

Jack’s teacher told me recently that he has caught up academically with his classmates! She has been very impressed by and proud of him! This was before he got glasses, so I’m sure that he will continue improving with the aid of being able to see properly. He recently read his first 40- and 50-page books, too!

I’m still a bit mystified by Jack’s social interactions. On any given day he’ll say he doesn’t have any friends or that no one wants to play with him. Yet walking through school and seeing all the kids who say hi to him tells a different story! He even gets hugs sometimes! It also seems that, from what we can interpret from the few details Jack gives us, it’s not that kids don’t want to play with him but that they don’t want to play what HE wants to play OR they don’t play it the way he wants them to. I’m not sure how to help him be more assertive with his needs (it’s taken a ton of work just to get him to tell us when he’s not feeling well – he doesn’t want to upset us!) and also to be less rigid. I’m hoping he’ll get it figured out on his own. :P

Physically Jack is doing fine. Maintenance continues as normal, although we did have to add Tums to his regimen on the weeks he takes steroids. A 6-year-old with heartburn is a pity (and kinda scary because all he knows is that his “chest hurts;” I already had the worry about when his stomach hurts – kidneys? liver? just constipation?). He’s also had either the same cold or four different colds since before Christmas. But his ANC is good and his exams have been fine so I try to focus on that. Plus, he is definitely growing! The kid needs new clothes and shoes again.

It had seemed we were making progress on the self-flagellation but yesterday Jack got really frustrated with himself for going through several pairs of socks before finding comfortable ones and slammed his forehead against the arm of the couch. He said he didn’t have time to draw that lesson (we were running late for school). And unfortunately he wasn’t feeling well enough to go to therapy on Wednesday since he’d had chemo the day before, so we’ll have to wait until March to address that again with his therapist. Maybe in the mean time I’ll coat the walls and hard furniture with bubble wrap!

So that’s what’s going on with my little ewok dude lately. It’s fairly tame stuff and for that I am grateful!

Filed Under: Cancer, Cancer Mom, Growing Up, Illness, Milestones, School Tagged With: , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

Learning After Cancer Treatment

October 30, 2012 By

Jack’s dad and I met with his teacher yesterday for a parent/teacher conference. I was a little apprehensive going in – not only do I have a slight issue with authority figures but I also worried about what we would learn about where Jack is academically.

On the positive side, Jack is in the top third of his class for his language and reading skills. He’s made a few friends and he’s already showing improvement in how he interacts with his peers compared to a month ago. And, of course, he’s quite the artist. He’s a good kid and sweet as can be. :)

There are some concerns, and Jack’s teacher is having the same difficulty we are in determining what the full story is on the issues that are cropping up. It’s really difficult to tell what is a side effect of current treatment and what might be permanent damage done to his brain from the intrathecal chemotherapy (that is chemo administered into the spinal cord). We’ve thus far gone with the “wait and see” approach. We’ve been given novels on the possible negative impacts from cancer treatment, but no one can tell us for sure what – if anything – will happen to Jack. Beyond that, probably due to his age and the fact that he only attended half a year of kindergarten, it’s difficult to tell if the issue is related to the cancer (and therefore accommodations need to be made) and what is something he just needs some help to master. He may just need time, or he may need special services.

We’ve learned that Jack is having trouble with internalizing the class routine. Even after a month, he doesn’t know which line he is supposed to be in when the kids split up to go to their math class or what group of kids he’s supposed to work on projects with. Worse, he doesn’t ask for help or direction and doesn’t seem to notice that, for instance, he’s alone sitting on the reading rug while everyone else is going to their project stations. The teacher needs to keep an eye on him and ask him specifically if he knows what he should be doing because he doesn’t look for hints or direction – he doesn’t even look up to the projector for instructions. It may just require some additional time for him to get the hang of things considering all he is going through, but it’s something we’ll need to watch because many of the treatments Jack has received can have cognitive effects that would affect planning and organizing, concentration skills, information processing, and attention span.

Math is another area of concern. The school splits first graders into three groups based upon their level of math knowledge. Jack is in the bottom third and within that group, he is still struggling to keep up with the class. Before he got sick he could count to 20 without difficulty. Now he is shaky above 10. Part of this is that he needs practice, but also he is having trouble seeing the patterns in math and lacks conservation skills. Between his parents and teachers, we need to figure out the best strategy to help him in this area. AND a way to get him to try things that he feels less than confident about. He is the type of kid who refuses to try something that he knows he can’t do perfectly…

A minor thing is that Jack’s handwriting seems labored, so he has poor penmanship. He hasn’t complained but when asked he did say that writing hurts his hands. This is not surprising considering that both Leukemia and some of the treatments can cause various aches and pains. He has also complained of blurry vision, but his eye exams have been fine, so we need to look into what that’s all about. I’m thinking it may be that it’s happening in the hour or so before he takes the medication that controls his spinal fluid pressure (which, when it increases, can put pressure on his eyes).

Our next steps seem to be getting some academic assessment tests and a 504 plan and/or IEP. I’m also giving Jack’s teacher the free copy of Educating The Child With Cancer that I got from the ACCO.

So now I need to get over my fatigue and fear related to reading anything related to cancer after-effects so that I can do some research and be more proactive about helping Jack in school. I can’t ignore the fact that my kid has special needs, however much I may want to!

Filed Under: Cancer, Cancer Mom, School Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , 6 Comments

An Unexpected Weekend Of Freedom

October 15, 2012 By

We had an unexpectedly free weekend without Jack. It involved a lot of lazing around since I got two migraines (ugh!), but it was still pretty relaxing to get a break from medication struggles for a couple of days. Usually our weekends without Jack are filled with social stuff. We did a bit of that, but since it was last minute most people had plans already. David and I took the opportunity to spend some quality time together, watch a movie, and even go out for breakfast on Saturday. It was divine!

On Sunday I spent a glorious two hours at Target all by myself! There are a lot of little things we needed and I like to save ‘em up because everyone knows you can’t get out of Target without spending at least $100. I browsed to my heart’s content since I had nowhere to be. I bought the laundry sorting hamper I’d been wanting – it has three compartments and each one can be removed and carried (downstairs) to our washing machine. My floor looks so much nicer now (that I can see it)! Time saver, too!

I was also able to grab some Halloween decorations from the dollar bin and some items to make packing Jack’s lunches easier – an insulated lunch bag, some small Gladware containers, and an ice pack. The lunch bag had a place for me to write Jack’s name, which I really appreciate. That kid loses everything!! Today I got an email from Mabel’s Labels and realized I need to order some of those for school, too (IF ONLY they sold them at Target!). And since Jack likes all things creepy, Halloween sales are perfect! Check it out:

Happy Halloween! Don’t let this fabulous offer from Mabel’s Labels scare you!

From now until 10/19, or while supplies last, Mabel’s Labels is offering a $3 off coupon for Allergy Alert labels, with all Halloween Loot Bag Combo purchases. The Loot Bag Combo was inspired by celebrities who love to include the Mabel’s Labels waterproof Sticky Labels and Bag Tags in their children’s birthday party loot bags. These sweet combos make great party favors and add a personalized touch to gifts! Best of all, you save $3 off Allergy Alert labels. Perfect for keeping your child safe this Halloween. Don’t miss your chance to shop this great offer!

*

It may be happening slowly, but we are indeed getting back to a routine and finding our way again. Now if only there was a product I could buy that made getting homework done easier…I’d pay a fortune for that!

***

This post contains sponsored content. For more information, please see my full disclosure statement.

Filed Under: Domesticating, Gear, Getting my groove back, School 1 Comment

He Wants Money

October 11, 2012 By

While Jack has no concept of monetary worth and is a bit shaky on his math skills these days, he is still motivated by money. I discovered this a couple of years ago when we were working on potty training. Well, ‘potty training’ isn’t the right term really – he knew exactly what to do and didn’t need training, he just didn’t want to do it. Stickers, candy, etc. were not good enough incentives for him. The thing that finally worked was $$MONEY$$. Every time he used the toilet I gave him some coins to put in a clear bucket. At the time he responded with wide eyes and asked, “I can buy ANY toy I want???”

Sure, honey, just keep saving those nickels.

More recently we’ve been trying to help Jack with his memory. He tended to forget things before cancer came into the picture, and ‘chemo brain’ is certainly not helping his recall. He’s terrible at remembering kids’ names and can’t for the life of him remember what he did during the day. Half the time he’ll make up some story about monsters or aliens on the playground to cover up his shoddy memory.

It’s a good thing Forgetful Jones isn’t around on PBS anymore, otherwise he’d have that nickname like I did! Someday I’ll have to apologize to him for passing on this sad trait of mine (if I remember).

When Jack came home from his first day of school and actually told us all about it (first time ever!) we were super excited. We immediately decided to encourage this behavior. Thanks to their ready availability at the clinic, Jack is no longer interested in stickers in the least and he already gets chocolate following his regular doses of antibiotics…hence, we offered him money if he remembered the name of his projects partner at school the following day.

Upon hearing “Gabriel who is a boy” announced, Jack was handed a dollar. Yesterday he came home and told me about Toni, and also about a kid from Room 1 that he’s decided is his enemy (the kid tried to get Jack to say “underwear” in a knock knock joke – Jack is much too proper for those shenanigans). When David asked if maybe he wanted a treat, Jack said yes and drew a rectangle shape with his fingers to indicate he wanted a dollar. We cracked up and handed it over.

I’ve given Jack his first wallet so he can stash his cash. He’s up to $3 so far. I believe he plans to use his money to buy monster berries in his favorite iPad game Monster Pet Shop (which involves breeding, raising, and selling monster pets – we’re actually both addicted – be our FRIEND!). I would be encouraging him to save it for college but I think we might have an entrepreneur on our hands!

Filed Under: Growing Up, School Tagged With: , , , , , , 2 Comments

Juggling Schedules With Two Working Parents

October 10, 2012 By

Aside from our current issues with cancer and medications and such (which I’m sick to death of talking about), we’ve had a very challenging time with getting into a routine for taking Jack to school and commuting to work. I’ve spent a lot of time (while sitting in traffic) wondering how in the world other two-earner households manage it, particularly when living in a big metropolitan area.

Currently, I have some flexibility on my work hours but in general I work 9-5. David works 9-6 and his hours are NOT flexible.

Our plan was to have David take Jack to school in the mornings (school starts at 8:10) and get to work by 9. Jack attends an after-school program that is open until 6:15, so I had planned to work 8:30-4:30 so that I could pick him up in plenty of time before the end of the after school program.

Unfortunately, traffic here has completely exploded lately. Our commutes, which used to take about 45 minutes each way, have expanded. Today it took me TWO HOURS to get into the office. When combined with delays in getting out of the house due to medication administration issues, mornings have been filled with stress. We’ve both been late to work several times now. I left work at 4:30 yesterday and got to Jack’s school at 6; he was the last kid left waiting to be picked up. And then that leaves us with two hours to get home, get Jack’s dinner prepared and eaten, administer his medications (two of which have to be taken an hour after dinner), get him bathed (if there’s time), and get him to bed.

We’ve been failing at bedtime, that’s for sure. We’re lucky if he’s asleep by 9:30.

How in the world do others in this area make their schedules work with their kids? Surely not every household has a stay-at-home-parent or family member! Do the rest of them have nannies? Not that we could afford that… And I wish part time work was an option! We can’t afford that, either, even if I could find an employer to pay me the hourly rate I’m getting now for being there only half the time.

It’s all kind of ironic because I’m an executive assistant by trade. I manage schedules and make impossible meetings happen all the time! I can’t seem to do it for my family, though. I can’t think of a solution.

Filed Under: Issues, Parenting 101, School, Working Mamahood Tagged With: , , , , 7 Comments

New Kid In School

October 3, 2012 By

Jack went to school today!!!

Let me rephrase that: for the first time in almost 10 months, Jack went to school today!!!

We drove to the school this morning and walked Jack to his new (first grade) classroom. Before the teacher had even spotted us, the kids all said, “Hiiiiii Jack!” and showed him where his desk was. Jack seemed to forget all about us. That boy does like attention…I was just happy to know that the teacher had prepared the kids for Jack’s arrival and that they were all so welcoming. It looked like he might be the “cool new kid.”

It was a short day – on Wednesdays they let out at noon – and it was made even shorter by a school walk-a-thon. Jack’s dad went to get him and apparently Jack was so enamored with his new friend Brianna (he has a friend already!!) that he didn’t want to leave – he decided he’d walk with the rest of the kids. Woohoo!

This has all cheered me up enormously. I wrote a long, depressing post yesterday that I kept in my drafts folder – I just couldn’t bring myself to post another depressing post following the recent ones. But I’m feeling better today – WE CAN DO THIS! We’re in Maintenance, baby!

And today I got a call from the Make-a-Wish program and it sounds like we’ll meet with them next week. They’ll bring an ice breaker gift for Jack and then interview him about his wish. Exciting!

I’m going to be cheerful if it kills me, dammit! ;)

 

Filed Under: Cancer, Illness, Milestones, School Tagged With: , , , , , , , 5 Comments

Forward Movement

September 11, 2012 By

I took Friday off work to prepare for a weekend trip to wine country. We didn’t plan to leave until the afternoon, so I took the opportunity in the morning to see about getting Jack enrolled in his new school district. I finally had all the paperwork I needed (with three items to prove residency!) and, after calming my nerves (somewhat) by drinking a warm beverage, I headed over to our neighborhood school.

Well, as it turns out, our neighborhood school is FULL. The waiting list for first graders is already four kids long, which would make Jack number five. I was promptly sent to the district office.

A bit shaky, yet hopeful, I headed into the district office, only to be told that I had arrived after enrollment hours. I can’t recall clearly what I said at that point but I know I babbled, near tears, about my kid not having been in school since December and just at least needing to get him on a list because he couldn’t attend school until this phase of chemo is done anyway and..

The office manager had a look of panic on her face and muttered, “Oh, dear,” before calling over another employee. I must have been quite a sight because the second employee took me right back to her office to find a spot for Jack in school.

THANK GOODNESS for the pity of others – if they hadn’t helped, I am sure I would have fallen on the floor in a pool of tears. Apparently I can take on the big monstrous things without falling apart, but when it comes to something like enrolling my kid in school – something that SHOULD be a routine and fairly easy thing - I can’t handle it going wrong! I cling to the little things, the little reminders that we’re still ‘normal.’ If those little things slip out from under me, I’m bound to lose my shit.

In any case, the wonderful, compassionate people at the district office helped me and did so quickly. We got Jack enrolled in our next-closest school, on a waiting list for our neighborhood school (just in case), and I should be hearing shortly from the Special Education folks to figure out a plan to homeschool until Jack can attend class in October.

I felt AMAZING after I left that office. I did it! My kid is going back to school! Life is starting to return to normal!

That was followed up yesterday with a visit to the dentist – his first time! That has been one parenting task I’ve been failing at getting accomplished up until now, and I’ve been beating myself up over it all these years. I was more than a little relieved to hear that Jack’s teeth were found to be in good shape – even with cancer and all. Whew!

Jack and I swung by his new school after his appointment. He liked the looks of the playground and the wall mural, but declared the place seemed haunted. I’m hoping that’s just because there were no kids around (thanks to a staff development day).

 

Not that I’m worried – at this point, after what we’ve been dealing with these past nine months, I’m not afraid to take on a few ghosts!

Filed Under: Cancer, Cancer Mom, Getting my groove back, Illness, Parenting 101, Photos, School Tagged With: , , , , , , , 8 Comments
« Older Posts