Dealing with Successes

We decided to return our son to the classroom after a period of home schooling. He is doing remarkably well! He has the right teacher—one who has equal parts empathy and strong boundaries.

He is also in a setting where outdoor time is highly valued. He has a small class (13 children) and is in a general education setting.

After our earlier troubles in a classroom setting, I admit I was nervous about trying this again. But our son truly needed more than I was able to provide in the home setting.

He is now able to separate from me without a traumatic reaction. In fact, he walks himself to his own classroom now! It is possible!

We know how to handle challenges. In some ways, handling success seems almost as stressful.

Our expectation is to be challenged. So we don’t know how to just trust that this is our new reality. To trust that the therapies, medications, accommodations, IEPs, and choices are all coming together? And to, dare I say it, work, is new to us.

I am finding myself delighted, yet looking for the "oh, but..." moment. But the but hasn’t happened yet. And yes, we are still new to this, but then we’ve never experienced being able to drop him off and not get a call or text from school during the day. Is this … freedom?

He tells me every day, “I don’t want to go to school.” So, yes, there is still anxiety. And I acknowledge it, and we go on to school. He is managing it and we are so proud to watch him navigate and master new things. He actually led his class in a recitation, which meant sitting in front of them as a group. His teacher recorded it and I could hardly believe my eyes.

Is this the same child who ran away from class last year? Yes, it is! It makes me think that old adage, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!” has some truth to it. We keep trying different things to help him, and to figure out what does work, and toss out what doesn’t.

Hope is a wonderful thing. The Education and Schools section offers information on finding the right school setting for your child.