I know people say this all the time, that they can’t believe how fast the time goes. Usually parents say it, because children grow so much from one year to the next, even from one month to the next. We just can’t get our minds around it, and without warning, they’ve become ourselves, slightly smaller, smarter, more energetic versions, but they’re us. They mature and grow literally overnight. Then they’re in middle school, driving, college…
So I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that these past two months have absolutely zoomed past me. Every day in February I had planned to post a heart healthy habit or factoid, as February is the month of the Heart. Be kind to it and take care of it, and it will reward you by not giving up or out on you. I think I got as far as day 6, then, I received an assignment. Two days later, another, then another after that. I love assignments! Who doesn’t? Yes, it’s money, but it’s also another challenge to creatively solve, and whether we admit to it or not, being creative is problem solving, and we love it, or we wouldn’t do it.
Then (which is never a good word when it comes after good news)…
I received some bad news. I won’t go into all the specifics and particulars (that would be its own post, to be sure) about Special Education, and if you’re not familiar (lucky you) it may seem confusing and time consuming. It is. Just on its own, it is a major time suck. It’s not enough that you have projects and homework and field trips and lunches and behavior they’ve learned from other kids to deal with when your general ed. child goes to school, with a special needs child, you have an IEP, an individualized education plan. We were told that our district had already made decisions regarding our child’s education (our older son is in 4th grade gen ed. our younger son is in 3rd grade and has high functioning autism). That, is a violation. A school or a district can’t make that decision without the IEP meeting, and the parents are a crucial and legal part of the IEP team. Fortunately, all the parents are connected, and we worked together to prevent some things from happening. However, now we’re constantly going to scrutinize every tiny thing the school or district tries to do. As if our child having a deficit isn’t enough for him to go through, and enough for us, there’s always someone trying to take advantage of the fact he has difficulty telling us what went on that day, and undereducate him (fortunately, he is getting better at it). That’s what’s been happening, he has been held in a program that has kept him from moving forward, and now, we have to spend the next five months catching him up. When you become a parent though, this is what you sign on for, not special needs necessarily, but the unexpected. It can happen at any time (to any child), which is why it’s called the unexpected.
But stay with me here, there’s good news coming!!
This rigmarole put me two months behind work wise. I completed my assignments on time (thank goodness I had them to keep me focused on something else each day) but the other things I do, there just wasn’t enough time in the day to do them. So my education is on hold again, and the work I’d had all set up to do in downtime is on hold, again…But, there is, a silver lining. A good part…
And, here comes the good part:
All of this made us realize we’ve been complacent, and just letting people take over when we should be the ones in control. Also, our older son could see, not only when people aren’t doing what’s right (but what’s right for them), but that we will fight for what is, by getting educated on an issue, being professional and achieving small goals in order to reach the largest one. Instead of spending a lot of time and money in court, we’re spending the time and money on better materials and education than he could get at school. Did we want to be right and financially exhausted, with our 8yo still behind, or did we want to give our son an education he deserves and shape his future, having hope for an amazing life. You have to be your child’s advocate, regardless of the issue, and think about what you want the outcome to actually be. There are some people in education that do the right thing about 50% of the time. We need to be there to call out, fix, and/or make up for that other 50%.
And now another good part!
I’ve been asked to be a guest editor on Coudal.com! Ta da!! Yay!! I’m very excited…Don’t know what that is? You’ve heard of Field Notes, haven’t you? I’ll be contributing at least once a day during the month of April, and I’ll let you know when I do (I start Monday, whoo hoo)!
And still more good parts!!
I’m joining a new print studio out of NY! Yay! Well, they’re not new, but I’m new to them, and they’re new to me. I’m pretty excited about that too. So glad I got my boards done, although I’m really behind and won’t have a lot for them for Surtex or Lic. Expo, but I’m busting my butt.
AND, I just rec’d another assignment, again with the Yay! I haven’t forgotten about the videos I’m doing, I just haven’t had time to get the software and do them. I’ve also been asked again to do the career fair at the middle school. For three years they’ve asked me, and I never have been able to because of prior commitments. I REALLY want to do it this year, we’ll see what I can do…
Lastly, I need to plug something truly great. Last month Gerald Kelley posted on FB or Twitter about Coffitivity. It amplifies your focus by providing ambient background noise. I tried it, the result is the image at the top of this post! What normally would take me days, likely a week to do, took me inside of one day. I can’t explain it, I don’t know why it works, maybe I’m just really receptive to it, but try it. It’s free, right now anyway, for goodness sake!
Thanks for sticking with me on this post! Hope you all have a very happy and creative Easter!
a : )
3/29
