Parenting

Parenting and in particular the parenting of special needs children and adults is the parent's job. In speaking to more than a number of parents on the subject more often then not I hear them complain about the lack of long term commitment from teachers, medical professionals and aides. This just rubs me the wrong way. Don't get me wrong sometimes there are just so many new people in Eric's life that I think my job should be called Training Specialist and not Mom.

I think that it is fantastic that ordinary people take time out of their lives to learn about and help our children. We have a lot of aides who need the volunteer credit, even if it is a paying job with a non-profit to get into medical or nursing school. I really love these people, they learn quickly are usually great at the task at hand and then move on when it is time for medical school. If we get these people from a year or 2, I am extremely happy. The things that they learn while caring for Eric can then be transferred to other families and enhance their carers. But they are not his parents and are not meant to be in his life forever.

Then there are the heroic Special Needs Teachers that not only have to learn a whole lot of things about their students medical and emotional needs even before the education process can even start. Also, every year there seems to be more paperwork required for each student, think of the 504 Plans, Individual Education Plans, paperwork to prove that grant money is being spent within the terms of the grant. Accident reports if a child stumbles and the corrective action that will be taken in the future so the child learning to walk will not stumble again. Did I mention parents with unrealistic goals for their children. From the start of teaching special education to leaving the field average is 10 years. No they will not be there forever. Neither will the teachers of your healthy children.

As for the wonderful people who staff our Adult Day Care Programs, please be very nice to these people. The pay is lower than I would like to see it. The hours are long. Our young adults are sometimes very difficult to work with. If you have a chance schedule a day to shadow your adult child and see how the staff works with them. I am always very happy to see these caring people go back to school to further their carers wherever it takes them. They are not meant to be in our adult children's lives forever.

Ending on a note that no one wants to think about is what happens if you as the parent gets hurt or you can't do your job as a parent? Do you have a backup plan in place? Does your support coordinator have this in writing. If you have guardianship for your adult child, the courts must approve the plan. Talk to your lawyer about this. Your relatives might not be up to the task. Planning is a must.

Just remember that nothing is forever.

Tilting

The pile of hats and scarfs is now 2 feet tall and starting to tilt. It's almost time to tag and bag them.

More Changes

More deep cleaning in the garage and Teri's old room. More of my the past left the house too. The bicycle that I bought when I was 13 made its way to Goodwill today along with a few other things. All my fiber is off the floor in Teri's old room. I am closer to getting a workbench into the room. The garage looks a whole lot better.

I have also moved some summer shirts that were too small last summer into my daily shirt rotation. My diet is simple, elimated all artificial sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup. My excersice plan is just as simple. I do more cleaning house,including deep cleaning and more walking. Just keep moving. This works for me,but please check with your personal physician before starting any diet or excersice routine.

Little Things

Today was a day of getting a lot of small things done. Days like this are necessary for the overall project, but are not as satisfying as getting lots accomplished. I think slower days are sometimes good for my body too.

3+3

Three boxes plus a pair of roller skates left for Goodwill today. Thee bags of recycling let the house too. Eric and I spent most of the day recouping from yesterday.

I have also come to the conclusion that engineers and artists look at mass in different ways. This is especially true when it come to de-cluttering and reorganization of the household.

90 Percent

Much to my own surprise the deep cleaning of the garage hit the 90% completion mark today. I lost count at seven boxes today, but kept going. Although we did not make our usual Sunday run to Goodwill because of Easter Sunday, I am sure I can fill the center of the van one more time for two good causes on Monday. The first being a cleaner garage for me and a new space to store my overflowing yarn for weaving and the second being good for the environment by help keep my local Goodwill shop stocked. We also topped of the recycling bin today too as an added bonus.

It's Finished

Last month I said I would make a dog pillow for my hairdressers
Great Pyrenees Puppy. Today I finished it. Since it was to big for the sewing table I had to use the kitchen table, it was even a bit big for it too. So the things I used, 1 yard by 66 inches wide heavy canvas cloth along with over 10.75 pounds of stuffing. Yes it weighs 11 pounds, but I understand it still weighs less than the puppy. This was a great community effort, I want to thank all the knitters, weavers and spinners for their scraps of fiber. Eric also contributed his worn out shorts and socks. John even threw in a few pairs of old socks to get the pillow done sooner.

Sorry for the sideways picture. As you can see the pillow is almost the size of the kitchen table.