Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Knocking on wood, crossing fingers

Because still, so far so good. I met kiddo's teacher at Back to School Night and he seems smart, thoughtful, well informed and committed to working with his kids and helping them succeed. (Also SO young. I am again considering changing the name of this blog to Angry Old Mom. Or Angry Sort-of Middle-Aged But Not Really Because What's Middle-Aged These Days Mom.) As soon as the kids understand the lesson, he moves on. No busy work or extra homework. Kids need a break? They all run around outside for a few minutes. Kids upset? He helps them calm down and doesn't judge them. I feel like he should be cloned so he can teach everyone's classes.

Kiddette, of course, is still in the original school, so she gets approximately three million sheets of paper a night. Not a commentary on her teacher, who also seems awesome; it's more on the school in general.

It's a little odd, having kids in different schools in the same town. Technically we needed to join a PTA and a PTO. And we see different parents we know at different school events. And now I have two different schools to get totally lost in because I'm like that.

The comparisons are inevitable. So far kiddo's school is winning. Admittedly this may be because he, and we, had such an awful experience at the original school last year. But having gone to two different Back to School Nights at two different places, School #2 has a friendlier, more casual vibe. I'm glad kiddo ended up there.

I'm almost waiting for the metaphorical other shoe to drop. There's been so much negativity for so long, it's hard to believe that we're completely past it. But right now, things are pleasant. Knock wood.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

So far, so good

Both kids had a positive first week of school. And let me assure you, I have never written that sentence before. But kiddo's new teacher seems to focus on his good points, moreso than his bad points, and is focusing on heading off any potential meltdowns so that kiddo can get classwork done. At least that's the vibe I get from the daily emails. It's definitely a change from "here are all the things your child did wrong today."

Still, it's too early to see whether we're finally going to deviate from the script. You know. This script.

EDUCATOR/DAYCARE PERSON: Oh, don't worry about your son, he'll be fine.

ME: Um, OK, but just so you know, he has ADHD and he has difficulty managing his emotions because he's a few years behind behaviorally and he has trouble with personal space and ....

EDUCATOR/DAYCARE PERSON: Oh, no sweat! We know all about all that stuff. We can totally handle him.

****** ONE MONTH LATER ********

EDUCATOR/DAYCARE PERSON: Well, your son did this today and that and this and that.

ME: Yes, we see these behaviors at home. These are the things he has trouble with.

EDUCATOR/DAYCARE PERSON: He needs to learn better behavior.

ME: ..... Right. We'll talk to him.


***** THREE TO SIX MONTHS LATER *********


EDUCATOR/DAYCARE PERSON: Yeah, we can't handle him.

ME: *Mentally bangs head against wall*



So, here's hoping we're operating with a different script this time. I hate reruns.

Meanwhile kiddette loves her teacher and loves going to school and loves her pink sneakers and is just generally loving life. She also appears to be playing with dolls. We may have reached Girl Territory.

In further scary neighborhood dog news, the Animal Control folks had no idea that the dog that bit kiddo has a history of biting kids, because for some reason no other reports on that address came up when the Animal Control guy looked. Which is odd, because of all the reports I've gotten from neighbors for nearly six years. Animal Control says sometimes, people don't call when a dog bites someone, because they don't want to cause trouble with the neighbors, and if the medical bills are paid for, hey, it's all taken care of, right?

Yeah, no. 1. There's a leash law in this state and the dog was routinely off-leash in the front yard. 2. The dog BITES KIDS. I'm told at least one victim went to the hospital. Even if the parents didn't call the police, the doctors treating the kids would have been legally required to do so. In fact, the people at the medical center who treated kiddo were relieved that we'd already called the police, because it saved them some paperwork.

So I don't buy for a second that there aren't other reports, and I'm not OK with playing nice neighbor and letting it drop, specifically because I know the dog has bitten before and despite that, the dog was still off-leash in the front yard. The neighbor's been careful about keeping the dog locked up or leashed ever since the incident, but what if the neighbor decides, two months from now, that everything's cool again and lets the dog run free?

Well, I call the cops again, obviously.

Kiddo's ankle is just about healed, but he's easily spooked around dogs now, which is an aggravation and a heartbreak. I grew up with dogs and cats and all sorts of other creatures. I don't know if he'll ever be OK with dogs.

Still, school is going well. That's a positive I'll take over many other negatives.