Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 9:36 am
I don't have any boys, but I have 2 of my 3 girls with their own special labelings. so, a lot of what I say comes from those experiences. and a lot of it echos what the others have said.
* find regular time for you to get away and get a break from the kids. That goes for all homeschooling moms!
*working dads can help! Let your husband know you need help with the kids. No one expects mom to do it all by herself.
* co-ops can help, but be prepared for rude comments from adults and children (even in the Christian circles). Find a good support network with people who will offer real help and real encouragement; therefore build up one another. I had to break out of one co-op group I was in.... there were some (but not all) people who kept telling me that autism was my fault. Or that they didn't want their compliant child to be around my autistic child because "bad company corrupts good morals." I couldn't deal with that. I let God deal with it. So, my experience is that before you join up in a co-op, make sure you have a soft place to fall when (not if) those kinds of comments happen.
* take a look at some resources from a company called Heads Up Now dot com (with no spaces in it). Even if you don't have a child with sensory issues or ADHD... many of the resources can help with fresh ideas and techniques to use with wiggly boys and girls. This company sells a lot of the fidget gadgets that Kelly and Tina have mentioned. There are several really good books for all of this --- from how to change discipline techniques to gadgets, teaching strategies, and even study/organizational skills for the students. Melinda Boring is a resouce not to be missed.
Each child is so different and even those with no labels can be their own challenge. A lot of the problems can be worked through. It might take outside classes and outside ideas. No one expects that you should have to do it on your own. My youngest is in outside therapies and classes (she's almost 5) and I wouldn't be able to do it with those resources. Keep praying. God has the right resources for you.
Hang in there. {hug}
mout wrote:
He will get regular exercise - in PE, recess, track,
He will have friends to play with.
He will be gone all day, thus I will have more patience with him when he is at home.
Now...trying here to address some of the points you brought up.
He will not necessarily get regular exercise in a public school setting. There is a lot of sitting in traditional classrooms. Even the Christian school down the street from me only has 15 minutes of recess and PE class is 30 minutes per week. So.....
*Try an indoor trampoline (the exercise sized ones), and look for ways to have him do physical chores. How about a jump rope?
* can you do some of the older children's lessons at the park or in your backyard when the weather is nice and just let your son run around while still nearby? or play on the swings or something?
* just because he is gone "all day" does not mean you will have more patience for him when the school bus returns. You'll be working with his homework at that time too and a lot of the issues will still be there. And you'll be ready to be done with school for the day. His being gone all day may also interfere with the outside activities of the other children who may be in h-s activities. Sorry, sweeties, we can't do to the ice skating rink b/c no one will be home at 3:00 when your brother gets home. Just something else to consider in the big picture dynamics for the whole family.
--crystal