Happy New Year!
I realize it isn’t January 1st, but to me the start of a new school year always feels like a new beginning. Since I’m currently a stay at home mom it basically gives me my life back. Summer is rough for me.
This summer was for the most part a positive one. Yes, there were meltdowns, and a few very public ones that I don’t want to relive. At one point, my son melted down in a craft store while buying supplies for a reward jar. He noticed once that someone had a service dog for autism, and very seriously asked if he could have an autism cat.
E doesn’t crave social interaction with other children, so I spend a great deal of time with him during the summer. I get very little down time. Plus if E is dysregulated, I’m not even getting out to the grocery store that day. I could enroll him in a camp, but so far he isn’t really interested. Forcing my son into things generally ends badly. My summer is good, but it just feels a bit lonely.
Still the thing about summer is that I have some control over the environments that I enter. I can plan a vacation around E’s issues. It gets harder the more people that are in the mix. You of course can’t plan out everything, but man do I try.
Here we are about to embark on a new school year. I want to tell the teacher a million things. I’ve already met with her and his special education teacher, but I’m sure we’re missing something important. I feel his anxiety, and I’m sure he can feel mine. I want to continue to control things, but I know I can’t do that.
So, raise a glass with me and drink to the New Year. Let’s collectively take three very deep breaths. Finally cheers to what hopefully will be a great year.