Wednesday, February 27, 2013

We got in!

While unloading girls from the minivan to pick up brother at school, my phone rings. It's a woman from Tri Counties Regional Center wanting to schedule a thing. I'm confused and ask her if we have cleared the last hurdle. She seemed to know what I meant and assured me we were *in* with regional center. I did a little dance in the sand by the tree that shades the playground.

YAY!!!

Now we figure out what they're able to do for her and plan for action.

It took 5 years, no less than 6 doctors, 100 phone calls, several letters, 1 lawyer, but we're there. Phew.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

26 acts of kindness isn't enough

My view is probably different than most moms. Yes, I'm so sad and heartbroken for families that lost a loved one in Newtown, horrified that the survivors have to work through all they saw and felt and keep living. Mostly I'm really angry that it happened.
Absolutely angry that the shooter's mom had guns in her home. Furious that the shooter wasn't receiving appropriate treatment for his mental illness or neurological disability. Above all I'm ANGRY that my daughter is being set up to fit into that shooter's shoes.
She's been bullied on her walk to school, bullied and abused in school, physically attacked on her way home from school. Even now, years after I started talking with the school about my daughter needing to be protected at school, the school system is still failing her. Maybe it is failing all of us. She doesn't have a chance at a productive life without proper education. The school is doing all they can to avoid their legal obligation to her.
I'm ANGRY that their failing my child could lead to horrible outcomes for her, her family and her community. Yes, I'm mad as hell, and I wish I didn't have to take it anymore.
There are two meetings at her school tomorrow, and I'll attend, participate, plan the next idiotic meeting.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Teach your children…

There's this idea that children do as they are taught.

So wrong!

Parents teach bigotry, and children choose love. Parents teach Catholicism, and children choose premarital sex and contraception. Parents teach alcoholism, and children choose a sober life. Parents teach hoarding, and children choose a clean and organized life.

Here's the deal: children make their own decisions. They can be nice or nasty, and it's their choice.

I hope we keep showing our kids how to be nice and highlighting the good feelings that come from being nice. We can show our kids the effects nice people have had in our lives. We can teach nice, but kids make their own choices.

The adult bullies I have run into have kids. I pray those kids learn nice and make the choice to be nice.

My oldest doesn't even understand nice. When I make a pan of brownies for a neighbor or friend, she's upset that I'm giving our stuff away. We have no shortage of food, but she's very upset when I give things away. I make a loaf of bread to give away, and she doesn't understand that I'm taking time to make a thing to give away.

We can teach all we want, all we can, but kids do what they do.