Well this is where we were at on Friday.....What can I say but a VERY cute-GOOD movie!!!!!
Stinger was quiet upset when he realized the main character was a girl, but quickly got over it when it started-LOLOLOL
Jody Foster is also in it and she plays a lady with Agrophobia( I think this is the fear of people etc)It was really interesting how similar the things she did, certian ritual thinking, certain scares and worries are things we frequently deal with here with Stinger. At one point a pharmacy comes to the door( she calls in her hand sanitiser and has it delivered-instead of actually going to the pharmacy)and she has him leave it outside in the rain. Another time the mail man accidently leaves her mail in the mailbox and she really fights with herself on how she needs to go out and get it,but cant bring herself to do it,then finally accepts that she doesnt need to read her mail that day.....
She also uses this hand sanitiser-obsessively-Stinger doesnt believe this stuff works;)LOLOLOL, but I could totally see alot of attributes of her in Stinger. What was REALLY cool is that she finally faces her fears and conquers them!!!!!It was awesome to see!
Anyway-REALLY cute show. Id look over at Stinger and he would be smiling so big-I wonder if he could relate at all to her fears. I know Ive seen that fear look on his face too many times to count.
We also went to Charlies(an Ice-Cream store)-as Stinger had a free coupon sent for his B-day. He ordered his usual-plain vanilla-his one and only and his favorite. But I think we have actually found a flavor he likes just as much. Its called bannana nut-and boy he tasted Dads and TRADED! LOLOLOLOL
Well wonders cease to amaze me! LOLOLOLOL
But it was a fun day. :)
Tonight can you say pain!!!!!!I went out to the "garden"got my soil ready and actually got 4 rows filled. Carrots, lettuce, cucumbers, and salad greens. We have really been going through the greens here lately. But BOY-am I feeling it tonight! ;)LOLOLOL
Dh is on a strict diet and he's been losing 5 pds per week....Im not doing so well. We have a bet going and basically who ever wins and gets down to their desired weight gets to spend the tax refund-LOLOLOL-pretty good motivation-eh? But its not helping too much with me I guess......LOLOLOL
But Im lovin the weather-its FINALLY warming up here without the wind.
I did see something though that caught my breath in the paper. It was saying how officials in Box Elder are looking at the weather carefully-not wanting it to warm up too soon-as it could cause flooding LIKE WE HAD HERE THREE YEARS AGO.......boy-thats all I need to hear........sigh.......Cross them fingers and toes-eh? NOT something I want to re-live.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Yet Another GOOD Reason to Homeschool.....
This upset me so much, that I had to do something.
I figured I would pass this along to as many people as possible.
Please, if nothing else, read the comments by the teacher that goes
by "vomit".
Carol from GA
Here is a blog thread on teachers' attitudes toward autism. Quite
revealing in my opinion.
http://teachers.net/states/ga/topic2982/3.17.08.05.23.55.html
-----sigh.........
I figured I would pass this along to as many people as possible.
Please, if nothing else, read the comments by the teacher that goes
by "vomit".
Carol from GA
Here is a blog thread on teachers' attitudes toward autism. Quite
revealing in my opinion.
http://teachers.net/states/ga/topic2982/3.17.08.05.23.55.html
-----sigh.........
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Field Trip
Today Monkey Boy and Stinger and I set out on a some what field trip to see a school play (The Wizard of Oz). It was playing at McKinley-Stingers old home school. It was a matinee and so the kids at school were there watching it too.
To say it mildly Stinger was not thrilled abt going.....no surprise there-eh? But he went without any tantrum or fussing. We get there and there are no outisde seats left-which is where he likes to be so he doesnt have to sit by anyone....so he struggled a bit with that, but as there was no alternative he managed to be okay with it. You shoudl have seen hsi face during teh whole play. Its as if he himself was in the play being soooo misereable. He looked soo sullen and NOT happy......but a couple of times he woudl complain that he could not see-so I know he was maybee enjoying it, if just a wee bit-kwim? Abt 15 min into it he started complaining that it was giving him a headache and told me he wanted to leave. He said there was too much talking. I dont know if he was talking about the play or the spectators sitting along with us-yet I assume it was the play as everyone ard us was really quite and well behaved.
Some of the characters were wearing headphone deals and they kept going out-which to Stinger I imagine was pretty frustrating.
But he did VERY well-for not wanting to be there, and Monkey boy was very well behaved too :)He REALLY enjoyed it, had fun clapping etc.
So it was, I guess, a sucess..... I guess?????
I thought it was cute and there were a couple of neighborhood kids in it that were fun to watch. Flamingo had NO desire to be in it-she hates talking in front of others-I found out this year at the Christmas Play.....
She is going through some funny cheerleading craze right now. Seams that two other girls and her have brought there pom-poms to school and have been cheering at breaks. Doing cart-wheels and hand-stands, and of course making up dreamy cheers for the boys they like-LOLOLOL. Its so funny listening to her tell these stories to me at night.
She wants to take cheerleading, but doesnt want to take gymnastics-as she has "already tried it" .Ive tried to explain to her that the two go together, but shes not understanding too well.
But I did call abt starting her up. I saw an add in the paper abt cheering, tumbling, dance etc-that is new and is being taught by the same awesome teachers she had for gymnastics. Their prices are really afordeable-so thats a BIG plus and I can stop hearing about it from Flamingo for awhile as they wont be starting up until the fall. ;)LOLOLOLOL She wants to be in a competing class, but you have to be 10-so shes just gunna have to be in the reg class in the fall. But she is excited. And Im sure this news is doing wonders for her shows at recess-LOLOLOL
Her soccer is starting up again. Its really cold still here-so Im not looking forward to sitting out there on those cold bleachers-LOLOLOL, but I remember my parents doing it on those cold Saturdays-I guess I can too.....;)LOLOLOLOLOL.
School is going really well again. WE are back into our daily schedule-which Stinger is again insisting on keeping to the "t" again :)He sure keeps me on my toes-LOLOLOLOL-but its going good :)
To say it mildly Stinger was not thrilled abt going.....no surprise there-eh? But he went without any tantrum or fussing. We get there and there are no outisde seats left-which is where he likes to be so he doesnt have to sit by anyone....so he struggled a bit with that, but as there was no alternative he managed to be okay with it. You shoudl have seen hsi face during teh whole play. Its as if he himself was in the play being soooo misereable. He looked soo sullen and NOT happy......but a couple of times he woudl complain that he could not see-so I know he was maybee enjoying it, if just a wee bit-kwim? Abt 15 min into it he started complaining that it was giving him a headache and told me he wanted to leave. He said there was too much talking. I dont know if he was talking about the play or the spectators sitting along with us-yet I assume it was the play as everyone ard us was really quite and well behaved.
Some of the characters were wearing headphone deals and they kept going out-which to Stinger I imagine was pretty frustrating.
But he did VERY well-for not wanting to be there, and Monkey boy was very well behaved too :)He REALLY enjoyed it, had fun clapping etc.
So it was, I guess, a sucess..... I guess?????
I thought it was cute and there were a couple of neighborhood kids in it that were fun to watch. Flamingo had NO desire to be in it-she hates talking in front of others-I found out this year at the Christmas Play.....
She is going through some funny cheerleading craze right now. Seams that two other girls and her have brought there pom-poms to school and have been cheering at breaks. Doing cart-wheels and hand-stands, and of course making up dreamy cheers for the boys they like-LOLOLOL. Its so funny listening to her tell these stories to me at night.
She wants to take cheerleading, but doesnt want to take gymnastics-as she has "already tried it" .Ive tried to explain to her that the two go together, but shes not understanding too well.
But I did call abt starting her up. I saw an add in the paper abt cheering, tumbling, dance etc-that is new and is being taught by the same awesome teachers she had for gymnastics. Their prices are really afordeable-so thats a BIG plus and I can stop hearing about it from Flamingo for awhile as they wont be starting up until the fall. ;)LOLOLOLOL She wants to be in a competing class, but you have to be 10-so shes just gunna have to be in the reg class in the fall. But she is excited. And Im sure this news is doing wonders for her shows at recess-LOLOLOL
Her soccer is starting up again. Its really cold still here-so Im not looking forward to sitting out there on those cold bleachers-LOLOLOL, but I remember my parents doing it on those cold Saturdays-I guess I can too.....;)LOLOLOLOLOL.
School is going really well again. WE are back into our daily schedule-which Stinger is again insisting on keeping to the "t" again :)He sure keeps me on my toes-LOLOLOLOL-but its going good :)
From My "Autistic" Point of View-article
This was right on the money I think....
Some days it seems the only predictable thing about it is the
unpredictability. The only consistent attribute the inconsistency. There is
little argument on any level but that autism is baffling, even to those who
spend their lives around it.
The child who lives with autism may look "normal," but his or her behavior
can be perplexing and downright difficult. Today, the citadel of autism,
once thought an "incurable" disorder, is cracking around the foundation.
Every day, individuals with autism show us they can overcome, compensate
for, and otherwise manage many of the condition's most challenging aspects.
Equipping those around our children with a simple understanding of autism's
most basic elements has a tremendous effect on the children's journey
towards productive, independent adulthood. Autism is an extremely complex
disorder, but we can distill it to three critical components: sensory
processing difficulties, speech/language delays and impairments, and whole
child/social interaction issues.
Here are 10 things every child with autism wishes you knew.
1. I am a child with autism. I am not "autistic." My autism is one
aspect of my total character. It does not define me as a person.
2. My sensory perceptions are disordered. This means the ordinary
sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touches of everyday life that you may not
even notice can be downright painful for me. The very environment in which I
have to live often seems hostile. I may appear withdrawn or belligerent to
you, but I am really just trying to defend myself. A "simple" trip to the
grocery store may be hell for me. My hearing may be hyper-acute. Dozens of
people are talking at once. The loudspeaker booms today's special. Muzak
whines from the sound system. Cash registers beep and cough. A coffee
grinder is chugging. The meat cutter screeches, babies wail, carts creak,
the fluorescent lighting hums. My brain can't filter all the input, and I'm
in overload!
My sense of smell may be highly sensitive. The fish at the meat
counter isn't quite fresh, the guy standing next to us hasn't showered
today, the deli is handing out sausage samples, the baby in line ahead of us
has a poopy diaper, and they're mopping up pickles on Aisle 3 with ammonia.
... I can't sort it all out, I'm too nauseous.
Because I am visually oriented, this may be my first sense to become over-stimulated. The
fluorescent light is too bright. It makes the room pulsate and hurts my
eyes. Sometimes the pulsating light bounces off everything and distorts what
I am seeing. The space seems to be constantly changing.
There's glare from windows, moving fans on the ceiling, so many bodies in constant motion, too
many items for me to be able to focus - and I may compensate with tunnel
vision. All this affects my vestibular sense, and now I can't even tell
where my body is in space. I may stumble, bump into things, or simply lay
down to try and regroup.
3. Please remember to distinguish between won't (I choose not to) and
can't (I'm not able to). Receptive and expressive language are both
difficult for me. It isn't that I don't listen to instructions. It's that I
can't understand you. When you call to me from across the room, this is what
I hear: "*&^%$#@, Billy. #$%^*&^%$&*"
Instead, come speak directly to me in plain words: "Please put your book in your desk, Billy. It's time to go to
lunch." This tells me what you want me to do and what is going to happen
next. Now it's much easier for me to comply.
4. I am a concrete thinker. I interpret language literally. It's very
confusing for me when you say, "Hold your horses, cowboy!" when what you
really mean is "Please stop running." Don't tell me something is a "piece of
cake" when there is no dessert in sight and what you really mean is, "This
will be easy for you to do." When you say, "It's pouring cats and dogs," I
see pets coming out of a pitcher. Please just tell me, "It's raining very
hard." Idioms, puns, nuances, double entendres and sarcasm are lost on me, and frustrate me.
5. Be patient with me. It's hard for me to tell you
what I need when I don't know the words to describe my feelings. I may be
hungry, frustrated, frightened or confused, but right now those words are
beyond my ability to express. Be alert for body language, withdrawal,
agitation, or other signs that something is wrong. There's a flip side to
this: I may sound like a little professor or a movie star, rattling off
words or whole scripts well beyond my developmental age. These are messages
I have memorized from the world around me to compensate for my language
deficits, because I know I am expected to respond when spoken to. They may
come from books, television or the speech of other people. It's called
echolalia. I don't necessarily understand the context or the terminology I'm
using, I just know it gets me off the hook for coming up with a reply.
6. Because language is so difficult for me, I am very visually oriented.
Show me how to do something rather than just telling me. And please be
prepared to show me many times. Lots of patient repetition helps me learn. A
visual schedule is extremely helpful as I move through my day. Like your day
planner, it relieves me of the stress of having to remember what comes next,
makes for smooth transitions between activities, and helps me manage my time
and meet your expectations. Here's a great web site for learning more about
visual schedules http://www.cesa7.
k12.wi.us/newweb/ content/rsn/ autism.asp
7. Focus and build on what I can do rather than what I can't do. Like
any other human, I can't learn in an environment where I'm constantly made
to feel that I'm not good enough or that I need fixing. Trying anything new
when I am almost sure to be met with criticism, however constructive,
becomes something to be avoided. Look for my strengths and you'll find them.
There's more than one right way to do most things.
8. Help me with social interactions. It may look like I don't want to
play with the other kids on the playground, but sometimes it's just that I
simply don't know how to start a conversation or enter a play situation. If
you can encourage other children to invite me to join them at kickball or
shooting baskets, I may be delighted to be included.
9. Try to identify what triggers my meltdowns. This is termed "the
antecedent." Meltdowns, blowups, tantrums or whatever you want to call them
are even more horrid for me than they are for you. They occur because one or
more of my senses has gone into overload. If you can figure out why my
meltdowns occur, they can be prevented.
10. If you are a family member, please love me unconditionally. Banish
thoughts such as, "If he would just ..." and "Why can't she ... ?" You
didn't fulfill every last expectation your parents had for you, and you
wouldn't like being constantly reminded of it. I didn't choose to have
autism. Remember that it's happening to me, not you. Without your support,
my chances of successful, self-reliant adulthood are slim. With your support
and guidance, the possibilities are broader than you might think. I promise
you I'm worth it.
It all comes down to three words: Patience. Patience. Patience.
Work to view my autism as a different ability rather than a disability.
Look past what you may see as limitations and see the gifts
autism has given me.
I may not be good at eye contact or conversation, but have you noticed I
don't lie, cheat at games, tattle on my classmates, or pass judgment on
other people?
You are my foundation. Think through some of those societal rules, and if
they don't make sense for me, let them go. Be my advocate, be my friend, and
we'll see just how far I can go.
I probably won't be the next Michael Jordan, ....but with my attention to fine
detail and capacity for extraordinary focus, I might be the next Einstein.
Or Mozart. Or Van Gogh. They had autism too.
Freelance writer and consultant Ellen Notbohm is a columnist for
Autism/Asperger' s Digest and co-author of 1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and
Raising Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (Future Horizons
http://www.futureho
rizons-autism. com). She favors "common sense" approaches
to raising her sons with autism and AD/HD. She lives in Oregon.
Some days it seems the only predictable thing about it is the
unpredictability. The only consistent attribute the inconsistency. There is
little argument on any level but that autism is baffling, even to those who
spend their lives around it.
The child who lives with autism may look "normal," but his or her behavior
can be perplexing and downright difficult. Today, the citadel of autism,
once thought an "incurable" disorder, is cracking around the foundation.
Every day, individuals with autism show us they can overcome, compensate
for, and otherwise manage many of the condition's most challenging aspects.
Equipping those around our children with a simple understanding of autism's
most basic elements has a tremendous effect on the children's journey
towards productive, independent adulthood. Autism is an extremely complex
disorder, but we can distill it to three critical components: sensory
processing difficulties, speech/language delays and impairments, and whole
child/social interaction issues.
Here are 10 things every child with autism wishes you knew.
1. I am a child with autism. I am not "autistic." My autism is one
aspect of my total character. It does not define me as a person.
2. My sensory perceptions are disordered. This means the ordinary
sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touches of everyday life that you may not
even notice can be downright painful for me. The very environment in which I
have to live often seems hostile. I may appear withdrawn or belligerent to
you, but I am really just trying to defend myself. A "simple" trip to the
grocery store may be hell for me. My hearing may be hyper-acute. Dozens of
people are talking at once. The loudspeaker booms today's special. Muzak
whines from the sound system. Cash registers beep and cough. A coffee
grinder is chugging. The meat cutter screeches, babies wail, carts creak,
the fluorescent lighting hums. My brain can't filter all the input, and I'm
in overload!
My sense of smell may be highly sensitive. The fish at the meat
counter isn't quite fresh, the guy standing next to us hasn't showered
today, the deli is handing out sausage samples, the baby in line ahead of us
has a poopy diaper, and they're mopping up pickles on Aisle 3 with ammonia.
... I can't sort it all out, I'm too nauseous.
Because I am visually oriented, this may be my first sense to become over-stimulated. The
fluorescent light is too bright. It makes the room pulsate and hurts my
eyes. Sometimes the pulsating light bounces off everything and distorts what
I am seeing. The space seems to be constantly changing.
There's glare from windows, moving fans on the ceiling, so many bodies in constant motion, too
many items for me to be able to focus - and I may compensate with tunnel
vision. All this affects my vestibular sense, and now I can't even tell
where my body is in space. I may stumble, bump into things, or simply lay
down to try and regroup.
3. Please remember to distinguish between won't (I choose not to) and
can't (I'm not able to). Receptive and expressive language are both
difficult for me. It isn't that I don't listen to instructions. It's that I
can't understand you. When you call to me from across the room, this is what
I hear: "*&^%$#@, Billy. #$%^*&^%$&*"
Instead, come speak directly to me in plain words: "Please put your book in your desk, Billy. It's time to go to
lunch." This tells me what you want me to do and what is going to happen
next. Now it's much easier for me to comply.
4. I am a concrete thinker. I interpret language literally. It's very
confusing for me when you say, "Hold your horses, cowboy!" when what you
really mean is "Please stop running." Don't tell me something is a "piece of
cake" when there is no dessert in sight and what you really mean is, "This
will be easy for you to do." When you say, "It's pouring cats and dogs," I
see pets coming out of a pitcher. Please just tell me, "It's raining very
hard." Idioms, puns, nuances, double entendres and sarcasm are lost on me, and frustrate me.
5. Be patient with me. It's hard for me to tell you
what I need when I don't know the words to describe my feelings. I may be
hungry, frustrated, frightened or confused, but right now those words are
beyond my ability to express. Be alert for body language, withdrawal,
agitation, or other signs that something is wrong. There's a flip side to
this: I may sound like a little professor or a movie star, rattling off
words or whole scripts well beyond my developmental age. These are messages
I have memorized from the world around me to compensate for my language
deficits, because I know I am expected to respond when spoken to. They may
come from books, television or the speech of other people. It's called
echolalia. I don't necessarily understand the context or the terminology I'm
using, I just know it gets me off the hook for coming up with a reply.
6. Because language is so difficult for me, I am very visually oriented.
Show me how to do something rather than just telling me. And please be
prepared to show me many times. Lots of patient repetition helps me learn. A
visual schedule is extremely helpful as I move through my day. Like your day
planner, it relieves me of the stress of having to remember what comes next,
makes for smooth transitions between activities, and helps me manage my time
and meet your expectations. Here's a great web site for learning more about
visual schedules http://www.cesa7.
k12.wi.us/newweb/ content/rsn/ autism.asp
7. Focus and build on what I can do rather than what I can't do. Like
any other human, I can't learn in an environment where I'm constantly made
to feel that I'm not good enough or that I need fixing. Trying anything new
when I am almost sure to be met with criticism, however constructive,
becomes something to be avoided. Look for my strengths and you'll find them.
There's more than one right way to do most things.
8. Help me with social interactions. It may look like I don't want to
play with the other kids on the playground, but sometimes it's just that I
simply don't know how to start a conversation or enter a play situation. If
you can encourage other children to invite me to join them at kickball or
shooting baskets, I may be delighted to be included.
9. Try to identify what triggers my meltdowns. This is termed "the
antecedent." Meltdowns, blowups, tantrums or whatever you want to call them
are even more horrid for me than they are for you. They occur because one or
more of my senses has gone into overload. If you can figure out why my
meltdowns occur, they can be prevented.
10. If you are a family member, please love me unconditionally. Banish
thoughts such as, "If he would just ..." and "Why can't she ... ?" You
didn't fulfill every last expectation your parents had for you, and you
wouldn't like being constantly reminded of it. I didn't choose to have
autism. Remember that it's happening to me, not you. Without your support,
my chances of successful, self-reliant adulthood are slim. With your support
and guidance, the possibilities are broader than you might think. I promise
you I'm worth it.
It all comes down to three words: Patience. Patience. Patience.
Work to view my autism as a different ability rather than a disability.
Look past what you may see as limitations and see the gifts
autism has given me.
I may not be good at eye contact or conversation, but have you noticed I
don't lie, cheat at games, tattle on my classmates, or pass judgment on
other people?
You are my foundation. Think through some of those societal rules, and if
they don't make sense for me, let them go. Be my advocate, be my friend, and
we'll see just how far I can go.
I probably won't be the next Michael Jordan, ....but with my attention to fine
detail and capacity for extraordinary focus, I might be the next Einstein.
Or Mozart. Or Van Gogh. They had autism too.
Freelance writer and consultant Ellen Notbohm is a columnist for
Autism/Asperger' s Digest and co-author of 1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and
Raising Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (Future Horizons
http://www.futureho
rizons-autism. com). She favors "common sense" approaches
to raising her sons with autism and AD/HD. She lives in Oregon.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Stary Night-Inside Milky Way
Well we have just finished up our Solar System Unit-man I learned alot! LOLOLOLOLOL. Tonight we looked up the Hubble Space Telescope. Trying to get my brain let alone Stingers brain ard it that there are such magnificent beautiful things out there today was pretty....well...impossible-LOLOLOL.
He was amazed and we watched a video and saw even more beautiful galaxies and learned alot abt the Hubble Telescope. It was so interesting, amazing....and FUN! LOLOLOL
Today we learned abt the Milky Way and did a picture out of cotton balls spread out into strands to represent the galaxy with and our tiny part-our solar system inside it. Made absolutely no sense to me and seams quiet unbelievable until we actually saw it online and looked at the telescope tonight. We actually looked and saw where the telescope is right now-a bit off of Australia and we could see it moving-He thought that was really neat. He wanted to watch it all night until it was above us. LOLOLOL It takes abt 97 minutes for it to make a complete orbit-so no, we didnt sit there and watch;)LOLOLOL maybee some other time.......LOLOLOL
But it was really neat.
Heres some more pictures-completely breathtakingly beautiful-eh?
Ill put them on teh next blog-sheesh..they are sooo beautiuful.....and it begs you to ask-why oh why are they out there???????Sunday, April 06, 2008
Special Mountains
This was a pretty good article I found today-made me smile and made me again think how lucky I am to have my Stinger home with me :)
LEARNING DISABILITIES - SPECIAL MOUNTAINS
by - Steven Michael Evans
Imagine a world in which the ability to draw was considered more valuable than the ability to read and write. Or a society in which climbing sheer rock faces and repelling down mountains was considered the norm. Would you excel, be average, or would you lag behind? (Perhaps a quick trip to the mirror to check your physique or sketch a self-portrait would answer that question for you.)
Visualize life as a "special needs student" in a society governed by skills and abilities which, by no fault of your own, you do not have. So, you spend hours and hours every day learning and relearning how to climb a 20-foot vertical. And it takes you weeks to complete a drawing of stick men having breakfast. (I don't know how to draw stick-eggs!!) Still, you don't get any better, but you do try. Oh boy, do you try!
Welcome to the misunderstood and misinterpreted world of special needs students.
They spend their days living in a world in which knowing how to spell preate (pretty) and spishal (special) is, questionably, more important than the message behind the spelling. These are individuals who stare at words packed like sardines onto a page. They are expected to absorb, decipher, accumulate, and file data into a neat, orderly mental package which can be regurgitated at any time, without any difficulty or extra help. Right? Yeah, sure.
Oh, by the way, climb Mount Rundle and give me a Rembrandt-esque rendition of the city dump. It's due at the end of class.
These kids are learning to cope in a society that is geared toward accumulation of facts and the ability to access them quickly. They are penalized for not possessing the same skills as the so called " normal " population. They are chastised, segregated, shunned, laughed at , called names, and must work twice as hard as "regular" students just to get onto a "level" playing field called public education.
Hopefully, our world still appreciates the oddballs; the underdogs; the square pegs - even if that appreciation is long term in its arrival. There is a continual amazement offered by the individual gifts and talents of special needs students.
Take Sharlene (not her real name) , who can list the title of every movie made in the past five years, not to mention the plot, main characters, setting and what the stars were doing on premiere night in Hollywood. Or Jacob (not his real name either) , who arrived a wild -child, but took up the challenge to find himself and define what he wanted in life. Or Josie (not...well, you guessed it) , who, at 17, has the work ethic and attitude of a seasoned university student.
The best job in the world belongs to those who teach, who are witness to many small miracles - as well as the continued daily struggles through which special kids must cope. They have been given the wondrous opportunity to work with students who may never remember how to figure out percent, or what the capital of Canada is, but can share their own Sistine Chapels, and lead an expedition on to mountains most of us don't see and the majority would otherwise never ascend.
LEARNING DISABILITIES - SPECIAL MOUNTAINS
by - Steven Michael Evans
Imagine a world in which the ability to draw was considered more valuable than the ability to read and write. Or a society in which climbing sheer rock faces and repelling down mountains was considered the norm. Would you excel, be average, or would you lag behind? (Perhaps a quick trip to the mirror to check your physique or sketch a self-portrait would answer that question for you.)
Visualize life as a "special needs student" in a society governed by skills and abilities which, by no fault of your own, you do not have. So, you spend hours and hours every day learning and relearning how to climb a 20-foot vertical. And it takes you weeks to complete a drawing of stick men having breakfast. (I don't know how to draw stick-eggs!!) Still, you don't get any better, but you do try. Oh boy, do you try!
Welcome to the misunderstood and misinterpreted world of special needs students.
They spend their days living in a world in which knowing how to spell preate (pretty) and spishal (special) is, questionably, more important than the message behind the spelling. These are individuals who stare at words packed like sardines onto a page. They are expected to absorb, decipher, accumulate, and file data into a neat, orderly mental package which can be regurgitated at any time, without any difficulty or extra help. Right? Yeah, sure.
Oh, by the way, climb Mount Rundle and give me a Rembrandt-esque rendition of the city dump. It's due at the end of class.
These kids are learning to cope in a society that is geared toward accumulation of facts and the ability to access them quickly. They are penalized for not possessing the same skills as the so called " normal " population. They are chastised, segregated, shunned, laughed at , called names, and must work twice as hard as "regular" students just to get onto a "level" playing field called public education.
Hopefully, our world still appreciates the oddballs; the underdogs; the square pegs - even if that appreciation is long term in its arrival. There is a continual amazement offered by the individual gifts and talents of special needs students.
Take Sharlene (not her real name) , who can list the title of every movie made in the past five years, not to mention the plot, main characters, setting and what the stars were doing on premiere night in Hollywood. Or Jacob (not his real name either) , who arrived a wild -child, but took up the challenge to find himself and define what he wanted in life. Or Josie (not...well, you guessed it) , who, at 17, has the work ethic and attitude of a seasoned university student.
The best job in the world belongs to those who teach, who are witness to many small miracles - as well as the continued daily struggles through which special kids must cope. They have been given the wondrous opportunity to work with students who may never remember how to figure out percent, or what the capital of Canada is, but can share their own Sistine Chapels, and lead an expedition on to mountains most of us don't see and the majority would otherwise never ascend.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Kindergarden Round-up...
was today for Monkey Boy.
He is so funny and constantly gives me reasons to smile throughout my day. Last night he was very nervous and worried abt what questions they would ask him. He said last night " What if they ask me what is 8+8 Mom-I dont know -what is it? 9?"LOLOLOL
He was so confidenst and walked right in there introducing himself to every single person he saw-LOLOLOL. A little girl informed us we should check in the office. Monkey Boy turned to her and said " Why thank you" and smiled and said" That was nice of her Mom wasnt it? To tell us where to go." :) My little man..........LOLOLOL * sniff*-he sure is growing up.
But the testers said he is very prepared for Kindergarden-which is just what we Moms who have been trying to teach want to hear ;) He walked out of there and gave me a high five and was so very proud of himself. He is so excited to get out there and grow up *sniff* Ack......Im no where near ready for that I dont think.....*sniff* :)
But I was a proud Momma today :) WHOOT!
He is so funny and constantly gives me reasons to smile throughout my day. Last night he was very nervous and worried abt what questions they would ask him. He said last night " What if they ask me what is 8+8 Mom-I dont know -what is it? 9?"LOLOLOL
He was so confidenst and walked right in there introducing himself to every single person he saw-LOLOLOL. A little girl informed us we should check in the office. Monkey Boy turned to her and said " Why thank you" and smiled and said" That was nice of her Mom wasnt it? To tell us where to go." :) My little man..........LOLOLOL * sniff*-he sure is growing up.
But the testers said he is very prepared for Kindergarden-which is just what we Moms who have been trying to teach want to hear ;) He walked out of there and gave me a high five and was so very proud of himself. He is so excited to get out there and grow up *sniff* Ack......Im no where near ready for that I dont think.....*sniff* :)
But I was a proud Momma today :) WHOOT!
Back in the Flow of things....slowly....LOLOLOL
Well we are getting back into our rhythme ard here. SLOWLY....LOLOLOL My Sunshine is back and all is right with the world again :)Man-I missed my little guy......
In order to hinder any meltdowns we have been taking things slow with Stinger with our schooling.........Today we actually did all subjects-as Ive been easing back into it. Frustrations are juts right on the surface lately-so I have to tread lightly or he will just shut down and not want to do anything if I push him too hard or too long. But hes been doing really well-as usual.
He had such a wonderful time with Nana and Papa-every day I learn a little more abt what he did and how happy he was-each and every time something comes into his memory abt it I know as he just beams and smiles soooo big-LOLOLOL :)
I guess I was worried for no reason-but I made a notebook with every problem they could possibly incounter and how to handle it etc and gave it to them to take. I just wanted to have all our bases covered. To no surprise Papa and Nana went above and beyond everything I wrote-anticipating things and looking at possible problems, analizing things before hand, and preparing things for Stinger to know in advance. I have such wonderful parents :)They thought of everything and Stinger responded so well to their thoughtfullness. Not a day goes by that I dont thank the Heavens to have been given such wonderful caring parents who have ALWAYS been there for me and my family in any way they could and can be. They had an egg timer going to help Stinger transition from things to other things-which he apparently really responded well to. They thought of everything to make his visit special and perfect. I dont think they understand how much that truly means to me and how it touches me and how happy inside that makes me feel to know they care so much abt him and care how he feels abt things.
Thank you Papa and Nana for giving my Stinger such fond memories and giving him your feelings of such acceptance and confidence. I am surely blessed. WE are truly blessed to have you in our lives. {{HUGS}}
In order to hinder any meltdowns we have been taking things slow with Stinger with our schooling.........Today we actually did all subjects-as Ive been easing back into it. Frustrations are juts right on the surface lately-so I have to tread lightly or he will just shut down and not want to do anything if I push him too hard or too long. But hes been doing really well-as usual.
He had such a wonderful time with Nana and Papa-every day I learn a little more abt what he did and how happy he was-each and every time something comes into his memory abt it I know as he just beams and smiles soooo big-LOLOLOL :)
I guess I was worried for no reason-but I made a notebook with every problem they could possibly incounter and how to handle it etc and gave it to them to take. I just wanted to have all our bases covered. To no surprise Papa and Nana went above and beyond everything I wrote-anticipating things and looking at possible problems, analizing things before hand, and preparing things for Stinger to know in advance. I have such wonderful parents :)They thought of everything and Stinger responded so well to their thoughtfullness. Not a day goes by that I dont thank the Heavens to have been given such wonderful caring parents who have ALWAYS been there for me and my family in any way they could and can be. They had an egg timer going to help Stinger transition from things to other things-which he apparently really responded well to. They thought of everything to make his visit special and perfect. I dont think they understand how much that truly means to me and how it touches me and how happy inside that makes me feel to know they care so much abt him and care how he feels abt things.
Thank you Papa and Nana for giving my Stinger such fond memories and giving him your feelings of such acceptance and confidence. I am surely blessed. WE are truly blessed to have you in our lives. {{HUGS}}
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Autism-The Musical
All I can say is WOW-
This clip went through it all.
All the emotions I have felt at some point in all of this.
I could SOOOOO relate to these parents and their reactions and feelings to every thing.
All I can say is it thoroughly touched me...........touched me deep.
http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/autism/video/
This clip went through it all.
All the emotions I have felt at some point in all of this.
I could SOOOOO relate to these parents and their reactions and feelings to every thing.
All I can say is it thoroughly touched me...........touched me deep.
http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/autism/video/
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
My Sunshine is Missing.......
Boy-is that the truth or what.
Sunshine is the nickname of Stinger. Sunshine has been HIS song that is sung by me to him when he is blue.
He's with Papa and Nana for a week-and BOY-its too quiet ard here. He's never been away this long and it just feels ............like my sunshine is gone.......:(
We got to see him last night though on our web-cam and that was SOOOOO NICE-you could see how much fun he was having on that face of his :) Which meant the world to Dh and I. We could actually see that face of his smile-which was priceless! It was a sight for sore eyes- beautiful!
Oh-how I miss him-but this is good for him to spend some one on one time with Papa and Nana. And I can tell he is just eating it right on up-LOLOLOL
They went B-day shopping-no problems :)Then they were going to go to McD's-one of his favorite places :) I hope it went well there too :)
He's been making really good choices and doing a real good job being so grown up Papa and Nana say:)So Im proud of him. Tackling something so hard(maybee harder for me I guess;)-LOLOLOL)and doing so well :)He's been adjusting to the changes-which Im sure has been hard-and hes handling everything just like the trooper I know him to be.
SUNSHINE-Im so proud of you-and I miss you and Love you so much. Way to Go! :) Im so glad you are having a good time! :)
XOXOXOXOX-MOM
Thanks Papa and Nana for inviting him over and for letting me check in-maybee a little too much-LOLOLOLOL {{HUGS}} I had no idea this would be so hard ON ME! LOLOLOLOL :)and here I was worried abt Stinger! Sheesh....LOLOLOL
Sunshine is the nickname of Stinger. Sunshine has been HIS song that is sung by me to him when he is blue.
He's with Papa and Nana for a week-and BOY-its too quiet ard here. He's never been away this long and it just feels ............like my sunshine is gone.......:(
We got to see him last night though on our web-cam and that was SOOOOO NICE-you could see how much fun he was having on that face of his :) Which meant the world to Dh and I. We could actually see that face of his smile-which was priceless! It was a sight for sore eyes- beautiful!
Oh-how I miss him-but this is good for him to spend some one on one time with Papa and Nana. And I can tell he is just eating it right on up-LOLOLOL
They went B-day shopping-no problems :)Then they were going to go to McD's-one of his favorite places :) I hope it went well there too :)
He's been making really good choices and doing a real good job being so grown up Papa and Nana say:)So Im proud of him. Tackling something so hard(maybee harder for me I guess;)-LOLOLOL)and doing so well :)He's been adjusting to the changes-which Im sure has been hard-and hes handling everything just like the trooper I know him to be.
SUNSHINE-Im so proud of you-and I miss you and Love you so much. Way to Go! :) Im so glad you are having a good time! :)
XOXOXOXOX-MOM
Thanks Papa and Nana for inviting him over and for letting me check in-maybee a little too much-LOLOLOLOL {{HUGS}} I had no idea this would be so hard ON ME! LOLOLOLOL :)and here I was worried abt Stinger! Sheesh....LOLOLOL
Thanks Secret Sister
Thank you for the card-it was so much fun opening it and having all those Easter stickers come tumbling out :) What a nice surprise!!!{{HUGS}}
Friday, March 14, 2008
Refuge Found in the Bathroom
Well as you can probably guess todays visit with Mr B didnt fly real well. Stinger barricaded his door shut-then decided to spend the rest of the time locked in the bathroom....sigh.....*think Mommy-Its just going to take some time*
THis is our first home helper who is trying to actually engage Stinger -so its a HUGE step for him. At least they talked a little bit-okay so it was mostly No's etc from Stinger-but at least it was a sort of communication effort-right?
Mr B is going to just stop by from now on-I think he's coming ard tomorrow too-he wants Stinger to understand he's going to be ard here-kwim? He wants to see also if he can get Stinger to engage better if Dh is home-which he probably will. Dh thinks its a good idea too.
So we shall see..........Puddin our dog was soo funny-he was acting alot like Stinger-very cautious and not liking the intrusion one bit-barking and putting up a very noisey stink, but finally allowed Mr B to give him loves.
So maybee there is some spark of hope in all of this....LOLOLOLOL If he can get Puddin to come ard there is hope yet he said-LOLOLOL
Mr B is very cautious abt giving Stinger his space-and isnt trying to barge into his life-which is very nice to see-as this is a first when it comes to getting outside help as far as proffessionals go. He's going very slow and isnt pushing.
Anyway-hes got Monky Boy on his team already-they give each other knuckles every time they meet-Monkey boy likes his new friend-LOLOLOL
Hope its catching.....
THis is our first home helper who is trying to actually engage Stinger -so its a HUGE step for him. At least they talked a little bit-okay so it was mostly No's etc from Stinger-but at least it was a sort of communication effort-right?
Mr B is going to just stop by from now on-I think he's coming ard tomorrow too-he wants Stinger to understand he's going to be ard here-kwim? He wants to see also if he can get Stinger to engage better if Dh is home-which he probably will. Dh thinks its a good idea too.
So we shall see..........Puddin our dog was soo funny-he was acting alot like Stinger-very cautious and not liking the intrusion one bit-barking and putting up a very noisey stink, but finally allowed Mr B to give him loves.
So maybee there is some spark of hope in all of this....LOLOLOLOL If he can get Puddin to come ard there is hope yet he said-LOLOLOL
Mr B is very cautious abt giving Stinger his space-and isnt trying to barge into his life-which is very nice to see-as this is a first when it comes to getting outside help as far as proffessionals go. He's going very slow and isnt pushing.
Anyway-hes got Monky Boy on his team already-they give each other knuckles every time they meet-Monkey boy likes his new friend-LOLOLOL
Hope its catching.....
Friday, March 07, 2008
The Low Down on CA.....bit long-but worth the read...
from another blog I belong to......
Hi, Here is another article about the CA situation. I find the last sentence very interesting and a true reflection of the situation. Also I just love the 'Union pleased with ruling', no kidding. Yes this started with an abuse case but what about children too young to be in school? Will the argument then turn that infants should be in some sort of placement so the state can 'check' them? This has far reaching implications and all parents should be concerned. There are many issues at play here. Homeschoolers have had concerns and been debating moves that CA has taken regarding homeschooling in recent years. Their laws appeared reasonable but with one court ruling, look what happened. Oh and considering all the cases of teachers having sex with students and the ages of the students getting younger and younger, how reliable is the safety of students at school when you also throw in violence, drugs, and bullying?
It all comes down to, whose children are these and if it takes a village ( that is a BIG IF and I don't buy into it), who gets to pick what village that is or does the state get to plunk your child into the village of their selection and not the one you chose? I remember when Nick started kindergarten I had this sick feeling. Up to that point, dh and I had decided everything for him. We picked where and when he went, who watched him, what parks he played at and how the equipment was and how the weather was, how crowded they were, but now we were just along for the ride and the school decided everything and we were lucky if they told us what they decided.
Friday, March 7, 2008 A California appeals court ruling clamping down on homeschooling by parents without teaching credentials sent shock waves across the state this week, leaving an estimated 166,000 children as possible truants and their parents at risk of prosecution. The homeschooling movement never saw the case coming.
"At first, there was a sense of, 'No way,' " said homeschool parent Loren Mavromati, a resident of Redondo Beach (Los Angeles County) who is active with a homeschool association. "Then there was a little bit of fear. I think it has moved now into indignation."
The ruling arose from a child welfare dispute between the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services and Philip and Mary Long of Lynwood, who have been homeschooling their eight children. Mary Long is their teacher, but holds no teaching credential. The parents said they also enrolled their children in Sunland Christian School, a private religious academy in Sylmar (Los Angeles County), which considers the Long children part of its independent study program and visits the home about four times a year.
The Second District Court of Appeal ruled that California law requires parents to send their children to full-time public or private schools or have them taught by credentialed tutors at home. Some homeschoolers are affiliated with private or charter schools, like the Longs, but others fly under the radar completely.
Many homeschooling families avoid truancy laws by registering with the state as a private school and then enroll only their own children. Yet the appeals court said state law has been clear since at least 1953, when another appellate court rejected a challenge by homeschooling parents to California's compulsory education statutes. Those statutes require children ages 6 to 18 to attend a full-time day school, either public or private, or to be instructed by a tutor who holds a state credential for the child's grade level. "California courts have held that ... parents do not have a constitutional right to homeschool their children,"
Justice H. Walter Croskey said in the 3-0 ruling issued on Feb. 28. "Parents have a legal duty to see to their children's schooling under the provisions of these laws." Parents can be criminally prosecuted for failing to comply, Croskey said. "A primary purpose of the educational system is to train school children in good citizenship, patriotism and loyalty to the state and the nation as a means of protecting the public welfare," the judge wrote, quoting from a 1961 case on a similar issue.
Union pleased with ruling(no kidding....)
The ruling was applauded by a director for the state's largest teachers union. "We're happy," said Lloyd Porter, who is on the California Teachers Association board of directors. "We always think students should be taught by credentialed teachers, no matter what the setting." A spokesman for the state Department of Education said the agency is reviewing the decision to determine its impact on current policies and procedures. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell issued a statement saying he supports "parental choice when it comes to homeschooling."
Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute, which agreed earlier this week to represent Sunland Christian School and legally advise the Long family on a likely appeal to the state Supreme Court, said the appellate court ruling has set a precedent that can now be used to go after homeschoolers. "With this case law, anyone in California who is homeschooling without a teaching credential is subject to prosecution for truancy violation, which could require community service, heavy fines and possibly removal of their children under allegations of educational neglect," Dacus said.
Parents say they choose homeschooling for a variety of reasons, from religious beliefs to disillusionment with the local public schools. Homeschooling parent Debbie Schwarzer of Los Altos said she's ready for a fight. Schwarzer runs Oak Hill Academy out of her Santa Clara County home. It is a state-registered private school with two students, she said, noting they are her own children, ages 10 and 12. She does not have a teaching credential, but she does have a law degree. "I'm kind of hoping some truancy officer shows up on my doorstep," she said. "I'm ready. I have damn good arguments." She opted to teach her children at home to better meet their needs. The ruling, Schwarzer said, "stinks."
Began as child welfare caseThe Long family legal battle didn't start out as a test case on the validity of homeschooling. It was a child welfare case. A juvenile court judge looking into one child's complaint of mistreatment by Philip Long found that the children were being poorly educated but refused to order two of the children, ages 7 and 9, to be enrolled in a full-time school. He said parents in California have a right to educate their children at home.
The appeals court told the juvenile court judge to require the parents to comply with the law by enrolling their children in a school, but excluded the Sunland Christian School from enrolling the children because that institution "was willing to participate in the deprivation of the children's right to a legal education." The decision could also affect other kinds of homeschooled children, including those enrolled in independent study or distance learning through public charter schools - a setup similar to the one the Longs have, Dacus said.
Charter school advocates disagreed, saying Thursday that charter schools are public and are required to employ only credentialed teachers to supervise students - whether in class or through independent study. Ruling will apply statewideMichael Smith, president of the Home School Legal Defense Association, said the ruling would effectively ban homeschooling in the state. "California is now on the path to being the only state to deny the vast majority of homeschooling parents their fundamental right to teach their own children at home," he said in a statement.
But LESLIE HEIMOV, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CHILDREN'S LAW CENTER OF LOS ANGELES, Leslie Heimov, executive director of the Children's Law Center of Los Angeles, which represented the Longs' two children in the case, said the ruling did not change the law. "They just affirmed that the current California law, which has been unchanged since the last time it was ruled on in the 1950s, is that children have to be educated in a public school, an accredited private school, or with an accredited tutor," she said. "If they want to send them to a private Christian school, they can, but they have to actually go to the school and be taught by teachers." Heimov said her organization's chief concern was not the quality of the children's education, but their "being in a place daily where they would be observed by people who had a duty to ensure their ongoing safety." HEIMOV SAID HER ORGANIZATION'S CHIEF CONCERN WAS NOT THE QUALITY OF THE CHILDREN'S EDUCATION, BUT THEIR 'BEING IN A PLACE DAILY WHERE THEY WOULD BE OBSERVED BY PEOPLE WHO HAD A DUTY TO ENSURE THEIR ONGOING SAFETY.' Online resources The ruling: To view the ruling by the Second District Court of Appeal, go to _links.sfgate.com/ZCQR_ (http://links.sfgate.com/ZCQR) . _http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/07/MNJDVF0F1.DTL
Hi, Here is another article about the CA situation. I find the last sentence very interesting and a true reflection of the situation. Also I just love the 'Union pleased with ruling', no kidding. Yes this started with an abuse case but what about children too young to be in school? Will the argument then turn that infants should be in some sort of placement so the state can 'check' them? This has far reaching implications and all parents should be concerned. There are many issues at play here. Homeschoolers have had concerns and been debating moves that CA has taken regarding homeschooling in recent years. Their laws appeared reasonable but with one court ruling, look what happened. Oh and considering all the cases of teachers having sex with students and the ages of the students getting younger and younger, how reliable is the safety of students at school when you also throw in violence, drugs, and bullying?
It all comes down to, whose children are these and if it takes a village ( that is a BIG IF and I don't buy into it), who gets to pick what village that is or does the state get to plunk your child into the village of their selection and not the one you chose? I remember when Nick started kindergarten I had this sick feeling. Up to that point, dh and I had decided everything for him. We picked where and when he went, who watched him, what parks he played at and how the equipment was and how the weather was, how crowded they were, but now we were just along for the ride and the school decided everything and we were lucky if they told us what they decided.
Friday, March 7, 2008 A California appeals court ruling clamping down on homeschooling by parents without teaching credentials sent shock waves across the state this week, leaving an estimated 166,000 children as possible truants and their parents at risk of prosecution. The homeschooling movement never saw the case coming.
"At first, there was a sense of, 'No way,' " said homeschool parent Loren Mavromati, a resident of Redondo Beach (Los Angeles County) who is active with a homeschool association. "Then there was a little bit of fear. I think it has moved now into indignation."
The ruling arose from a child welfare dispute between the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services and Philip and Mary Long of Lynwood, who have been homeschooling their eight children. Mary Long is their teacher, but holds no teaching credential. The parents said they also enrolled their children in Sunland Christian School, a private religious academy in Sylmar (Los Angeles County), which considers the Long children part of its independent study program and visits the home about four times a year.
The Second District Court of Appeal ruled that California law requires parents to send their children to full-time public or private schools or have them taught by credentialed tutors at home. Some homeschoolers are affiliated with private or charter schools, like the Longs, but others fly under the radar completely.
Many homeschooling families avoid truancy laws by registering with the state as a private school and then enroll only their own children. Yet the appeals court said state law has been clear since at least 1953, when another appellate court rejected a challenge by homeschooling parents to California's compulsory education statutes. Those statutes require children ages 6 to 18 to attend a full-time day school, either public or private, or to be instructed by a tutor who holds a state credential for the child's grade level. "California courts have held that ... parents do not have a constitutional right to homeschool their children,"
Justice H. Walter Croskey said in the 3-0 ruling issued on Feb. 28. "Parents have a legal duty to see to their children's schooling under the provisions of these laws." Parents can be criminally prosecuted for failing to comply, Croskey said. "A primary purpose of the educational system is to train school children in good citizenship, patriotism and loyalty to the state and the nation as a means of protecting the public welfare," the judge wrote, quoting from a 1961 case on a similar issue.
Union pleased with ruling(no kidding....)
The ruling was applauded by a director for the state's largest teachers union. "We're happy," said Lloyd Porter, who is on the California Teachers Association board of directors. "We always think students should be taught by credentialed teachers, no matter what the setting." A spokesman for the state Department of Education said the agency is reviewing the decision to determine its impact on current policies and procedures. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell issued a statement saying he supports "parental choice when it comes to homeschooling."
Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute, which agreed earlier this week to represent Sunland Christian School and legally advise the Long family on a likely appeal to the state Supreme Court, said the appellate court ruling has set a precedent that can now be used to go after homeschoolers. "With this case law, anyone in California who is homeschooling without a teaching credential is subject to prosecution for truancy violation, which could require community service, heavy fines and possibly removal of their children under allegations of educational neglect," Dacus said.
Parents say they choose homeschooling for a variety of reasons, from religious beliefs to disillusionment with the local public schools. Homeschooling parent Debbie Schwarzer of Los Altos said she's ready for a fight. Schwarzer runs Oak Hill Academy out of her Santa Clara County home. It is a state-registered private school with two students, she said, noting they are her own children, ages 10 and 12. She does not have a teaching credential, but she does have a law degree. "I'm kind of hoping some truancy officer shows up on my doorstep," she said. "I'm ready. I have damn good arguments." She opted to teach her children at home to better meet their needs. The ruling, Schwarzer said, "stinks."
Began as child welfare caseThe Long family legal battle didn't start out as a test case on the validity of homeschooling. It was a child welfare case. A juvenile court judge looking into one child's complaint of mistreatment by Philip Long found that the children were being poorly educated but refused to order two of the children, ages 7 and 9, to be enrolled in a full-time school. He said parents in California have a right to educate their children at home.
The appeals court told the juvenile court judge to require the parents to comply with the law by enrolling their children in a school, but excluded the Sunland Christian School from enrolling the children because that institution "was willing to participate in the deprivation of the children's right to a legal education." The decision could also affect other kinds of homeschooled children, including those enrolled in independent study or distance learning through public charter schools - a setup similar to the one the Longs have, Dacus said.
Charter school advocates disagreed, saying Thursday that charter schools are public and are required to employ only credentialed teachers to supervise students - whether in class or through independent study. Ruling will apply statewideMichael Smith, president of the Home School Legal Defense Association, said the ruling would effectively ban homeschooling in the state. "California is now on the path to being the only state to deny the vast majority of homeschooling parents their fundamental right to teach their own children at home," he said in a statement.
But LESLIE HEIMOV, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CHILDREN'S LAW CENTER OF LOS ANGELES, Leslie Heimov, executive director of the Children's Law Center of Los Angeles, which represented the Longs' two children in the case, said the ruling did not change the law. "They just affirmed that the current California law, which has been unchanged since the last time it was ruled on in the 1950s, is that children have to be educated in a public school, an accredited private school, or with an accredited tutor," she said. "If they want to send them to a private Christian school, they can, but they have to actually go to the school and be taught by teachers." Heimov said her organization's chief concern was not the quality of the children's education, but their "being in a place daily where they would be observed by people who had a duty to ensure their ongoing safety." HEIMOV SAID HER ORGANIZATION'S CHIEF CONCERN WAS NOT THE QUALITY OF THE CHILDREN'S EDUCATION, BUT THEIR 'BEING IN A PLACE DAILY WHERE THEY WOULD BE OBSERVED BY PEOPLE WHO HAD A DUTY TO ENSURE THEIR ONGOING SAFETY.' Online resources The ruling: To view the ruling by the Second District Court of Appeal, go to _links.sfgate.com/ZCQR_ (http://links.sfgate.com/ZCQR) . _http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/07/MNJDVF0F1.DTL
Homeschooling in CA continued....
Well its happened.....
I copied this from a friend's blog and thought I'd post it since the talk has been about California and HS.
"Today it was announced that it is no longer legal to home school in our state without a CA state teacher credential. There are over 250,000 home schooled children in our state and I dare say that more 85% of them are taught by mothers and fathers who are not licensed in our state. We are members of the Home School Legal Defense Association and recommend that all of you CA homeschooling families join ASAP. The news tonight stated that criminal charges, jail time, and/ fines may be brought against parents who do not comply. ....To read more about this issue and to sign a petition to de-publish the ruling, click here... http://www.hslda.org/Default.asp?bhcp=1
You know in Germany itsstill illegal to homeschool-one of Hitlers many total government control orders. Pretty scary when you start to understand and realize how each and every day we are becoming more and more similar........sigh......
I copied this from a friend's blog and thought I'd post it since the talk has been about California and HS.
"Today it was announced that it is no longer legal to home school in our state without a CA state teacher credential. There are over 250,000 home schooled children in our state and I dare say that more 85% of them are taught by mothers and fathers who are not licensed in our state. We are members of the Home School Legal Defense Association and recommend that all of you CA homeschooling families join ASAP. The news tonight stated that criminal charges, jail time, and/ fines may be brought against parents who do not comply. ....To read more about this issue and to sign a petition to de-publish the ruling, click here... http://www.hslda.org/Default.asp?bhcp=1
You know in Germany itsstill illegal to homeschool-one of Hitlers many total government control orders. Pretty scary when you start to understand and realize how each and every day we are becoming more and more similar........sigh......
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Cross Your Fingers and Toes.....
Well today is the day-our first trial run with Mr.B here at home. We decided it was best if he just supposedly "shows up to play" ;) As last time Stinger was NOT thrilled and decided to hide-which more than likely will happen today-we shall see though. Im crossing everything that we have a good day :)Im being positive :)
He's coming over between 1:30 ish-3. This is our small window before Flamingo gets home from school. Dh is at work and things are more quiet with Flamingo being gone. Monkey Boy will be here and that should be interesting-he talked more to Mr. B last time than Stinger did.
Anyway-we shall see.......
He's coming over between 1:30 ish-3. This is our small window before Flamingo gets home from school. Dh is at work and things are more quiet with Flamingo being gone. Monkey Boy will be here and that should be interesting-he talked more to Mr. B last time than Stinger did.
Anyway-we shall see.......
Monday, March 03, 2008
Our Second Loss...:(
Well I put this off all weekend..........
Ding our 1&1/2 yr old Rottie has left us to be with Bell in Heaven.
Her hind legs just gave out on her. It was a gradual thing-little things we had noticed for awhile-when she would jump up-she would sometimes wimper. She woul dpace back and forth. About a month ago we had decided to put her outside in the kennel as she was having accidents whenever you would get upset with her etc. So Puddin' has been inside instead.
Ding was acting fine until abt Thursday afternoon. I noticed his legs were bothering him. I thought it was just the snow and him not liking to step on it. Then Friday he could barely get up-well he couldnt. He kept falling down, wouldnt eat or drink. He could get his head up and he was responding to his name, but he was shaking and would flop his head back down on the ground unable to try keep trying to get up. :(
I woke Dh up and told him something was wrong. We rushed Ding to the vet only to find out that it was irriversable-somewhat like a stroke the doc said. It was in his head. Nothing was hurt-his legs were fine. But his mind was telling him that he couldnt stand. The doc said that it was different- as a person can be treated and can come back from it with care and work, but a dog wouldnt-and with Ding being so big it would be near impossible to take care of her needs like we would have to-potty, eating, etc. He said he could give him steroids, but that it would just make him more comforteable and he wouldnt get the use back to his legs :(
Dh told me to leave as he could see I was getting upset and he talked to the doc more in detail. I went out to the car with the kids and just started bawling. I didnt hold it together too well and this made all the kids start to cry :(So I went back to the kids-told them I didnt know if Ding was going to a make it :(
Oh-it was the worst thing. :( :( :(
So we decided for Ding it was best to let him go. So the kids came in and said goodbye and I stayed back and was there holding him to the end :(
We skipped school on Friday as no one was in the best mood to do anything....
I still dont like looking outside at the dog kennel-as it reminds me of Ding-its still really hard. He was abig part of our lives. I'm still torn up about it-but Ive still got to go on for the kids and our family-but its been hard. So that alone has helped me.
We told the kids he's up there with Bell runing and playing. Now God has 2 great Guard dogs :)
I was close to Ding-close like Monkey boy was. He will be missed :(
Ding our 1&1/2 yr old Rottie has left us to be with Bell in Heaven.
Her hind legs just gave out on her. It was a gradual thing-little things we had noticed for awhile-when she would jump up-she would sometimes wimper. She woul dpace back and forth. About a month ago we had decided to put her outside in the kennel as she was having accidents whenever you would get upset with her etc. So Puddin' has been inside instead.
Ding was acting fine until abt Thursday afternoon. I noticed his legs were bothering him. I thought it was just the snow and him not liking to step on it. Then Friday he could barely get up-well he couldnt. He kept falling down, wouldnt eat or drink. He could get his head up and he was responding to his name, but he was shaking and would flop his head back down on the ground unable to try keep trying to get up. :(
I woke Dh up and told him something was wrong. We rushed Ding to the vet only to find out that it was irriversable-somewhat like a stroke the doc said. It was in his head. Nothing was hurt-his legs were fine. But his mind was telling him that he couldnt stand. The doc said that it was different- as a person can be treated and can come back from it with care and work, but a dog wouldnt-and with Ding being so big it would be near impossible to take care of her needs like we would have to-potty, eating, etc. He said he could give him steroids, but that it would just make him more comforteable and he wouldnt get the use back to his legs :(
Dh told me to leave as he could see I was getting upset and he talked to the doc more in detail. I went out to the car with the kids and just started bawling. I didnt hold it together too well and this made all the kids start to cry :(So I went back to the kids-told them I didnt know if Ding was going to a make it :(
Oh-it was the worst thing. :( :( :(
So we decided for Ding it was best to let him go. So the kids came in and said goodbye and I stayed back and was there holding him to the end :(
We skipped school on Friday as no one was in the best mood to do anything....
I still dont like looking outside at the dog kennel-as it reminds me of Ding-its still really hard. He was abig part of our lives. I'm still torn up about it-but Ive still got to go on for the kids and our family-but its been hard. So that alone has helped me.
We told the kids he's up there with Bell runing and playing. Now God has 2 great Guard dogs :)
I was close to Ding-close like Monkey boy was. He will be missed :(
Saturday, March 01, 2008
PIcky Kids Eating article
This article was REALLY good and I could really relate to it with Stinger. So Im going to be trying this method:
http://gfcf-diet.talkaboutcuringautism.org/picky-kids-eating-autism.htm
We took the long road in getting Jeff used to foods by following these steps:
1.You eat the food next to the child and comment “this ___ is yummy”. (It was important to make sure you had his attention and observed you eating the new food.)
2.A friend of the child or a highly reinforcing person eats the food next to the child comments “this ___ is yummy”. (Again, it is important to gain attention on this step and all others.)
3.In home therapy time, school, and down time have the therapists/parents take a picture of the desired to eat food and talk about it. Do drills or sort foods in the similar category. We moved from pictures to actual whole bananas and other fruits into his therapy and play activities.
4.We then put a small amount of the food on a separate plate NEXT to your child’s plate. Point to it and discuss. Eat a few off the plate and comment “this ___ is yummy”
5.The big step: Put the food on your childs plate. He/she does NOT eat the food. But has to tolerate the food being on the plate. Tell your child “you don’t have to eat the ____. It just needs to be on your plate during your meal.”
6.Next big step: put the same food on your childs plate and during the meal your child needs to TOUCH the food. Tell your child “you don’t have to eat the ____ it just needs to be touched with a finger during your meal.”
7.Getting really big step: put the same food on your childs plate and during the meal your child needs to PICK UP the food. Tell your child “you don’t have to eat the ____ it just needs to be PICK UP THE FOOD ONCE during your meal.”
8.Now we are moving: put the same food on your childs plate and during the meal your child needs to PICK UP AND PUT THE FOOD ON THE LIPS. Tell your child “you don’t have to eat the ____ it just needs to be PICK UP AND PUT THE FOOD ON THE LIPS during your meal.”
9.Guess what – the next step includes the dreded tongue! Put the same food on your childs plate and during the meal your child needs to PICK UP AND PUT THE FOOD ON THE TONGUE. Tell your child “you don’t have to eat the ____ it just needs to be PICK UP AND PUT THE FOOD ON THE TONGUE during your meal.”
10.Last step – the holy grail: PUTTING THE SMALLEST PIECE in the mouth and finally swallowing the food.
Note, it is highly possible little chewing happens the first go around. Work with your child to chew as the final step!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------worth a shot-eh? Looks really good anyway...LOLOLOL
http://gfcf-diet.talkaboutcuringautism.org/picky-kids-eating-autism.htm
We took the long road in getting Jeff used to foods by following these steps:
1.You eat the food next to the child and comment “this ___ is yummy”. (It was important to make sure you had his attention and observed you eating the new food.)
2.A friend of the child or a highly reinforcing person eats the food next to the child comments “this ___ is yummy”. (Again, it is important to gain attention on this step and all others.)
3.In home therapy time, school, and down time have the therapists/parents take a picture of the desired to eat food and talk about it. Do drills or sort foods in the similar category. We moved from pictures to actual whole bananas and other fruits into his therapy and play activities.
4.We then put a small amount of the food on a separate plate NEXT to your child’s plate. Point to it and discuss. Eat a few off the plate and comment “this ___ is yummy”
5.The big step: Put the food on your childs plate. He/she does NOT eat the food. But has to tolerate the food being on the plate. Tell your child “you don’t have to eat the ____. It just needs to be on your plate during your meal.”
6.Next big step: put the same food on your childs plate and during the meal your child needs to TOUCH the food. Tell your child “you don’t have to eat the ____ it just needs to be touched with a finger during your meal.”
7.Getting really big step: put the same food on your childs plate and during the meal your child needs to PICK UP the food. Tell your child “you don’t have to eat the ____ it just needs to be PICK UP THE FOOD ONCE during your meal.”
8.Now we are moving: put the same food on your childs plate and during the meal your child needs to PICK UP AND PUT THE FOOD ON THE LIPS. Tell your child “you don’t have to eat the ____ it just needs to be PICK UP AND PUT THE FOOD ON THE LIPS during your meal.”
9.Guess what – the next step includes the dreded tongue! Put the same food on your childs plate and during the meal your child needs to PICK UP AND PUT THE FOOD ON THE TONGUE. Tell your child “you don’t have to eat the ____ it just needs to be PICK UP AND PUT THE FOOD ON THE TONGUE during your meal.”
10.Last step – the holy grail: PUTTING THE SMALLEST PIECE in the mouth and finally swallowing the food.
Note, it is highly possible little chewing happens the first go around. Work with your child to chew as the final step!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------worth a shot-eh? Looks really good anyway...LOLOLOL
Judge Orders Homeschoolers Into Government Education
http://www.wnd. com/index. php?fa=PAGE. view&pageId=57679
This is really scary..........especially when we all know that California's ideas seam to cross over to us sooner or later-eh? Not a good sign of things to come.....
This is really scary..........especially when we all know that California's ideas seam to cross over to us sooner or later-eh? Not a good sign of things to come.....
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
The "Perfect" Homeschool Mom
This picked me right up :)
The "Perfect" Home-School Mom?
Who is the "perfect" home-school mom? Where and how does she live? Is her husband the "perfect" home-school father who always makes the right choices? What are her children like? What kind of house does she live in? Is it always clean and well organized?
The "perfect" home-school mom is one who lifts her eyes to the Lord, the source of her help (Psalm 121). She desires to have a closer relationship to the Lord, to be a Godly woman with a heart of thanksgiving in all things, to be a better helpmeet to her husband, and to be a loving mother to her children.
The "perfect" home-school mom may be somewhat (or extraordinarily!) disorganized, but still has the humbleness of mind to say, "I'm having a problem with a certain area of organization. Does anyone have any suggestions which may help me?"
The "perfect" home-school mom is one who goes through trials -- difficult trials, fiery trials -- and cries out to the Lord in the midst of them. "Then she cried to the Lord in her trouble, and He saved her from her distress. He brought her out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away her chains. Let her give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds to women" (Psalm 107:13-15 paraphrased).
The "perfect" home-school mom is one who is sometimes running, sometimes walking, and sometimes faltering, but who continues to run the race set before her with trust and perseverance of faith. She may become irritated, frustrated, or overwhelmed, but she continues to pray, to seek, and to overcome in the strength of the Lord.
The "perfect" home-school mom is one who loves the Lord and her family and will give up many luxuries of time, energy, and money to show that love is a daily way of life. She is human; but she knows Whose she is and "Who is able to keep that which she has committed to Him against that day" (II Timothy 1:12.).
The "perfect" home-school mom sees the endless making of meals, the washing of clothes, shopping, cleaning house, and lesson preparation week after week and month after month as work to give back to the Lord with thanksgiving (Col. 3:17). She understands that these chores are not just something to be finished so that she can "get on with life" or "get to the fun things" (a lie of the enemy that our responsibilities are drudgery). Instead, her work builds relationships and character into herself and her dear children as well as developing skills.
The "perfect" home-school mom doesn't get depressed when she realizes that she will have to prepare at least 15,000 more meals in her lifetime. She teaches her family by example to rejoice in serving and to be attentive to details.
The "perfect" home-school mom talks to the Lord about her husband's weaknesses and talks to her husband about his good qualities.
The "perfect" home-school mom realizes she is weak, but knows Who is strong. She learns to rest in the everlasting love of the Lord and knows that it is Him, the Maker of heaven and earth, who will give her His strength, His grace, and His wisdom to press on.
The "perfect" heart is not one that does everything right, but one that holds back nothing (not even her inadequacies) from the Lord (Psalm 51).
The "perfect" home-school mom has seen the Lord intervene in the mediocrity of daily living, taking an ordinary day and making it extraordinary.
Will the "perfect" home-school mom please stand up? Couldn't we all stand?
Don't we fit the criteria? Yes! We are "perfect" home-school moms, not because we are able, but because we know that we are unable apart from God's holy grace, and He is able.
Circumstances vary from family to family, but the promises of God and His Word never change. They continue, from generation to generation, to be a source of great joy and peace for those who have been called to His Kingdom.
"I will run the course set out in Thy commandments, for they gladden the heart." (Psalm 119:32)
-- by Naida Gomes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->beautiful :)
The "Perfect" Home-School Mom?
Who is the "perfect" home-school mom? Where and how does she live? Is her husband the "perfect" home-school father who always makes the right choices? What are her children like? What kind of house does she live in? Is it always clean and well organized?
The "perfect" home-school mom is one who lifts her eyes to the Lord, the source of her help (Psalm 121). She desires to have a closer relationship to the Lord, to be a Godly woman with a heart of thanksgiving in all things, to be a better helpmeet to her husband, and to be a loving mother to her children.
The "perfect" home-school mom may be somewhat (or extraordinarily!) disorganized, but still has the humbleness of mind to say, "I'm having a problem with a certain area of organization. Does anyone have any suggestions which may help me?"
The "perfect" home-school mom is one who goes through trials -- difficult trials, fiery trials -- and cries out to the Lord in the midst of them. "Then she cried to the Lord in her trouble, and He saved her from her distress. He brought her out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away her chains. Let her give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds to women" (Psalm 107:13-15 paraphrased).
The "perfect" home-school mom is one who is sometimes running, sometimes walking, and sometimes faltering, but who continues to run the race set before her with trust and perseverance of faith. She may become irritated, frustrated, or overwhelmed, but she continues to pray, to seek, and to overcome in the strength of the Lord.
The "perfect" home-school mom is one who loves the Lord and her family and will give up many luxuries of time, energy, and money to show that love is a daily way of life. She is human; but she knows Whose she is and "Who is able to keep that which she has committed to Him against that day" (II Timothy 1:12.).
The "perfect" home-school mom sees the endless making of meals, the washing of clothes, shopping, cleaning house, and lesson preparation week after week and month after month as work to give back to the Lord with thanksgiving (Col. 3:17). She understands that these chores are not just something to be finished so that she can "get on with life" or "get to the fun things" (a lie of the enemy that our responsibilities are drudgery). Instead, her work builds relationships and character into herself and her dear children as well as developing skills.
The "perfect" home-school mom doesn't get depressed when she realizes that she will have to prepare at least 15,000 more meals in her lifetime. She teaches her family by example to rejoice in serving and to be attentive to details.
The "perfect" home-school mom talks to the Lord about her husband's weaknesses and talks to her husband about his good qualities.
The "perfect" home-school mom realizes she is weak, but knows Who is strong. She learns to rest in the everlasting love of the Lord and knows that it is Him, the Maker of heaven and earth, who will give her His strength, His grace, and His wisdom to press on.
The "perfect" heart is not one that does everything right, but one that holds back nothing (not even her inadequacies) from the Lord (Psalm 51).
The "perfect" home-school mom has seen the Lord intervene in the mediocrity of daily living, taking an ordinary day and making it extraordinary.
Will the "perfect" home-school mom please stand up? Couldn't we all stand?
Don't we fit the criteria? Yes! We are "perfect" home-school moms, not because we are able, but because we know that we are unable apart from God's holy grace, and He is able.
Circumstances vary from family to family, but the promises of God and His Word never change. They continue, from generation to generation, to be a source of great joy and peace for those who have been called to His Kingdom.
"I will run the course set out in Thy commandments, for they gladden the heart." (Psalm 119:32)
-- by Naida Gomes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->beautiful :)
Saturday, February 23, 2008
God's Butterfly
This was written by a mother first trying homeschooling-having had bad experiances at PS she has seen her Kaitlyn shine since homeschooling :)
Made me smile :) :)
God's Butterfly
written for my Kaitlin By: ~AC~
A Butterfly she is to me
Though a caterpillar you may see.
Rough around the edges
A little prickly to the touch.
Your eyes have deceived you
when you thought you weren't seeing much.
To a hiding place I will send her
A place for her to transform.
Though it may seem to you a mistake
for her good this chance I will take.
Though the space may seem tight at times
Her refinement I have in mind.
I will paint her wings beautiful colors
As a new side of me she learns.
I will purify her spirit
As she concentrates on my word.
I will make evident her beauty
before I again release her to the world.
For her job will be to flutter
as she spreads my precious word.
One day she will be ready
a cocoon no longer needed.
She will spread her wings and fly
and always be by my side.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->BEAUTIFUL-eh?
Made me smile :) :)
God's Butterfly
written for my Kaitlin By: ~AC~
A Butterfly she is to me
Though a caterpillar you may see.
Rough around the edges
A little prickly to the touch.
Your eyes have deceived you
when you thought you weren't seeing much.
To a hiding place I will send her
A place for her to transform.
Though it may seem to you a mistake
for her good this chance I will take.
Though the space may seem tight at times
Her refinement I have in mind.
I will paint her wings beautiful colors
As a new side of me she learns.
I will purify her spirit
As she concentrates on my word.
I will make evident her beauty
before I again release her to the world.
For her job will be to flutter
as she spreads my precious word.
One day she will be ready
a cocoon no longer needed.
She will spread her wings and fly
and always be by my side.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->BEAUTIFUL-eh?
Friday, February 22, 2008
21 Rules
man-now if I could just find this one cross stitch ;)
21 Rules Of This House
The 21 Rules Of This Houseby Gregg Harris
1. We obey God.
2. We love, honor and pray for one another.
3. We tell the truth.
4. We consider one another's interests ahead of our own.
5. We speak quietly and respectfully with one another.
6. We do not hurt one another with unkind words or deeds.
7. When someone needs correction, we correct him in love.
8. When someone is sorry, we forgive him.
9. When someone is sad, we comfort him.
10. When someone is happy, we rejoice with him.
11. When we have something nice to share, we share it.
12. When we have work to do, we do it without complaining.
13. We take good care of everything that God has given us.
14. We do not create unnecessary work for others.
15. When we open something, we close it.
16. When we take something out, we put it away.
17. When we turn something on, we turn it off.
18. When we make a mess, we clean it up.
19. When we do not know what to do, we ask.
20. When we go out, we act just as if we were in this house.
21. When we disobey or forget any of the 21 Rules of This House, we acceptthe discipline and instruction of the Lord.
FortifyingTheFamily
21 Rules Of This House
The 21 Rules Of This Houseby Gregg Harris
1. We obey God.
2. We love, honor and pray for one another.
3. We tell the truth.
4. We consider one another's interests ahead of our own.
5. We speak quietly and respectfully with one another.
6. We do not hurt one another with unkind words or deeds.
7. When someone needs correction, we correct him in love.
8. When someone is sorry, we forgive him.
9. When someone is sad, we comfort him.
10. When someone is happy, we rejoice with him.
11. When we have something nice to share, we share it.
12. When we have work to do, we do it without complaining.
13. We take good care of everything that God has given us.
14. We do not create unnecessary work for others.
15. When we open something, we close it.
16. When we take something out, we put it away.
17. When we turn something on, we turn it off.
18. When we make a mess, we clean it up.
19. When we do not know what to do, we ask.
20. When we go out, we act just as if we were in this house.
21. When we disobey or forget any of the 21 Rules of This House, we acceptthe discipline and instruction of the Lord.
FortifyingTheFamily
Thursday, February 21, 2008
The Bathroom Stall--HYSTERICAL! LOLOLOLOLOL
THE BATHROOM STORY -- A 3-year-old tells all from his mother's
restroom stall By Shannon Popkin
My little guy, Cade, is quite a talker. He loves to communicate and does it quite well. He talks to people constantly, whether we're in the library, the grocery store or at a drive-thru window. People often comment on how clearly he speaks for a just-turned-3-year-old. And you never have to ask him to turn up the volume. It's always fully cranked. There've been several embarrassing times that I've wished the meaning of his words would have been masked by a not-so-audible voice, but never have I wished this more than last week at Costco.
Halfway through our shopping trip, nature called, so I took Cade with me into the restroom. If you'd been one of the ladies in the rest-room that evening, this is> what you would have heard coming from the second to the last stall:
"Mommy, are you gonna go potty? Oh! Why are you putting toiwet paper on the potty, Mommy? Oh! You gonna sit down on da toiwet paper now? Mommy, what are you doing? Mommy, are you gonna go stinkies on the potty?" At this point I started mentally counting how many women had been in the bathroom when I walked in. Several stalls were full ... 4? 5? Maybe we could wait until they all left before I had to make my debut out of this stall and reveal my identity.
Cade continued, "Mommy, you ARE going stinkies aren't you? Oh, dats a good girl, Mommy! Are you gonna get some candy for going stinkies on the potty? Let me see doze stinkies, Mommy! Oh ... Mommy! I'm trying to see in dere. Oh! I see dem. Dat is a very good girl, Mommy. You are gonna get some candy!"
I heard a few faint chuckles coming from the stalls on either side of me.
Where is a screaming new born when you need one? Good grief. This was really getting embarrassing. I was definitely waiting a long time before exiting. Trying to divert him, I said, "Why don't you look in Mommy's purse and see if you can find some candy. We'll both have some.
"No, I'm trying to see doze more stinkies. Oh! Mommy!" He started to gag at this point.
"Uh oh, Mommy. I fink I'm gonna frow up. Mommy, doze stinkies are making me frow up!! Dat is so gross!!"
As the gags became louder, so did the chuckles outside my stall. I quickly flushed the toilet in hopes of changing the subject. I began to reason with myself: OK. there are four other toilets. If I count four flushes, I can be reasonably assured that those who overheard this embarrassing monologue will be long gone.
"Mommy! Would you get off the potty, now? I want you to be done doing stinkies! Get up! Get up!" He grunted as he tried to pull me.
Now I could hear full-blown laughter. I bent down to count the feet outside my door.
Oh, are you wooking under dere, Mommy? You wooking under da door?
What were you wooking at, Mommy? You wooking at the wady's feet?"
More laughter.
I stood inside the locked door and tried to assess the situation.
"Mommy, it's time to wash our hands, now. We have to go out now, Mommy."
He started pounding on the door. "Mommy, don't you want to wash your hands? I want to go out!!"
I saw that my "wait 'em out" plan was unraveling. I sheepishly opened the door and found standing outside my stall, twenty to thirty ladies crowded around the stall, all smiling and starting to applaud.
My first thought was complete embarrassment, then I thought, "Where's the fine print on the 'motherhood contract' where I signed away every bit of my dignity and privacy?"
But as my little boy gave me a big, cheeky grin while he rubbed bubbly soap between his chubby little hands, I thought, I'd sign it all away again, just to be known as Mommy to this little fellow.
Shannon Popkin is a freelance writer and mother of three. She lives ith her family in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she no longer uses public restrooms with her 3 yr. old in tow.
restroom stall By Shannon Popkin
My little guy, Cade, is quite a talker. He loves to communicate and does it quite well. He talks to people constantly, whether we're in the library, the grocery store or at a drive-thru window. People often comment on how clearly he speaks for a just-turned-3-year-old. And you never have to ask him to turn up the volume. It's always fully cranked. There've been several embarrassing times that I've wished the meaning of his words would have been masked by a not-so-audible voice, but never have I wished this more than last week at Costco.
Halfway through our shopping trip, nature called, so I took Cade with me into the restroom. If you'd been one of the ladies in the rest-room that evening, this is> what you would have heard coming from the second to the last stall:
"Mommy, are you gonna go potty? Oh! Why are you putting toiwet paper on the potty, Mommy? Oh! You gonna sit down on da toiwet paper now? Mommy, what are you doing? Mommy, are you gonna go stinkies on the potty?" At this point I started mentally counting how many women had been in the bathroom when I walked in. Several stalls were full ... 4? 5? Maybe we could wait until they all left before I had to make my debut out of this stall and reveal my identity.
Cade continued, "Mommy, you ARE going stinkies aren't you? Oh, dats a good girl, Mommy! Are you gonna get some candy for going stinkies on the potty? Let me see doze stinkies, Mommy! Oh ... Mommy! I'm trying to see in dere. Oh! I see dem. Dat is a very good girl, Mommy. You are gonna get some candy!"
I heard a few faint chuckles coming from the stalls on either side of me.
Where is a screaming new born when you need one? Good grief. This was really getting embarrassing. I was definitely waiting a long time before exiting. Trying to divert him, I said, "Why don't you look in Mommy's purse and see if you can find some candy. We'll both have some.
"No, I'm trying to see doze more stinkies. Oh! Mommy!" He started to gag at this point.
"Uh oh, Mommy. I fink I'm gonna frow up. Mommy, doze stinkies are making me frow up!! Dat is so gross!!"
As the gags became louder, so did the chuckles outside my stall. I quickly flushed the toilet in hopes of changing the subject. I began to reason with myself: OK. there are four other toilets. If I count four flushes, I can be reasonably assured that those who overheard this embarrassing monologue will be long gone.
"Mommy! Would you get off the potty, now? I want you to be done doing stinkies! Get up! Get up!" He grunted as he tried to pull me.
Now I could hear full-blown laughter. I bent down to count the feet outside my door.
Oh, are you wooking under dere, Mommy? You wooking under da door?
What were you wooking at, Mommy? You wooking at the wady's feet?"
More laughter.
I stood inside the locked door and tried to assess the situation.
"Mommy, it's time to wash our hands, now. We have to go out now, Mommy."
He started pounding on the door. "Mommy, don't you want to wash your hands? I want to go out!!"
I saw that my "wait 'em out" plan was unraveling. I sheepishly opened the door and found standing outside my stall, twenty to thirty ladies crowded around the stall, all smiling and starting to applaud.
My first thought was complete embarrassment, then I thought, "Where's the fine print on the 'motherhood contract' where I signed away every bit of my dignity and privacy?"
But as my little boy gave me a big, cheeky grin while he rubbed bubbly soap between his chubby little hands, I thought, I'd sign it all away again, just to be known as Mommy to this little fellow.
Shannon Popkin is a freelance writer and mother of three. She lives ith her family in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she no longer uses public restrooms with her 3 yr. old in tow.
Scary.....
http://www.ocregister.com/column/nate-parents-home-1982047-government-court
theres even a comment from a mother in Utah who shares her own story....
theres even a comment from a mother in Utah who shares her own story....
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