Raising Eli & Zachary + a little Princess

A few months ago Eli asked me if he could join the Boy Scouts. As a scout myself I thought it was a great idea but I was shocked at the lack of response from my local Den to my inquiries. I asked five different times and I had no response. Not a very good feeling. The scouts must have changed from the time I was a kid. Especially if they can decide NOT to welcome kids in.

Recently a school flier was sent home about scouting and my son approached me and asked if we could go. Who am I to say no to such a request so we went and had a fantastic time. A week later Eli has his Cub Scout uniform and we embark on our first camping trip this weekend. So what does this mean for me? And how will Eli react to all of the changes he is about to experience for the first time? Any PDD-NOS or Aspergers parent knows that a change in schedule and behavior can be a melt down situation and one thing we parents try to do is prepare our kids for these eventual scenarios.

So tonight I will help Eli build the tent (weather permitting) in the backyard. I will go out and spend money on sleeping bags, and all the other various camping things we will need and hope for the best. I am sure I will hear the I want Mommy bit sometime during the trip and I just hope I can redirect him to something that will calm him down. I am looking forward to being outdoors, hiking, archery and rock climbing. I just hope Eli embraces it.

(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Eli’s diagnosis and EIP was removed midway through Kindergarten, but issues still remain. The school system believes Eli is fine because his disability does not negatively affect his abilities as a student in school. Now that Eli is in first grade he is doing a fantastic job but the stim and social issues continue. Clearly Eli still needs help so we are about to take on the school district and try to get him additional help that was stripped from him going into first grade.

Our goal is to have him tested again to see if he is classified with Aspergers Syndrome. Eli fits the bill with all the classic symptoms and he is now old enough for that diagnosis (six is the earliest a child can be diagnosed accurately with Asbergers). Our goal is if there is help he can receive, then we want that help. It is all about his future. We want the best for him.

I will let you know what happens.

(2 votes, average: 3.50 out of 5)

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Eli is a magical kid. To sum it up he is very polite, very nice to others and is exceptionally smart. Yesterday we received a letter home from school asking if we could bring Eli down to the PTA meeting because he was selected to say the pledge at the start of the meeting. When the principal of the school called him up (as well as a student from 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade) he said that these kids were already excelling in class and had shown that they were going to be stars.

Nice job my boy. When his teacher approached me and said that academically he is amazing I beamed a huge smile. All the nights of reading stories, playing games like guess the planet, talking about science, math and nature. It all pays off. Eli is a sponge and absorbs almost everything he hears and sees. It is really rewarding.

As for the now declassified PDD-NOS the teacher says she has stopped him from stimming with his hands twice, that socially he has no issues and that he is doing great. We were worried that without services and structure that he would end up taking steps backwards. It is entirely to early to tell if this is going to be the case but so far so good.

As for Zachary – who is equally amazing, he has his first virus since going back to daycare. Unreal. Jodi is taking the day off. This kid has no immune system.

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Eli was named the Student of the Month! Awesome! Now I can be one of those parents who put the magnet on the back of the car proclaiming that my kid is better then yours!

(No Ratings Yet)

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Middle Country School district has done it again. Yet another light snow fall and they either cancel class completely or dismiss early. This time at noon for Kindergarten classes. I wonder how many Canadians are laughing right now. Wimpy New Yorkers can’t handle a few inches of snow without going into a panic. I guess people with tenure are lucky. They don’t have to explain to their bosses why they have to leave work after a few inches of snow to claim their kids three hours early.

I am lucky because I have been on short term disability since December 20th due to hip surgery. I can’t even begin to think what my bosses would say each time I had to say, sorry guys I have to go rescue my kids because of two inches of snow. I think I would have missed four or five days of work. Again, having tenure is great isn’t it! Unfortunately it does not work equally. Middle Country school district will close its schools but my wife who is a teacher in Nassau county will be open. She has to go to work, and I have to stay home or leave work early.

Oh well, I am complaining. At least I get to spend some quality time with Eli and have fun. Tomorrow I will have to figure out some cool activity for us to do.

(No Ratings Yet)

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Selden was hit pretty hard from the latest storm and according to the local news, we received 19 inches of snow. Of course, Middle Country School District canceled school for the day and that was to be expected. What was not expected was the 2 hour delayed start today which really should be unnecessary. Are you telling me that a full staff of custodians and maintenance workers couldn’t clear the sidewalks and parking lot in the 24 hours since the storm ended? What does this result in for working parents?

A two hour delayed start is bad news for a lot of reasons. Working parents do not always have the option of just going to work 2-3 hours after their normal start and definately don’t have the means to stay 2-3 hours late to make up the time. Working parents also do not have a babysitter that can adjust their schedule to the needs of the parent because a school district can’t clean up some snow. The bottom line is that the teachers have to dig themselves out, the maintenance workers have to dig their schools out and the school district needs to respect the parents more by doing whatever it takes to recover faster.

If I were not home due to the hip surgery I would have to take a half of a day off, or my wife who is a school teacher would have to take a half of a day off. Amazing that her school district did the right thing and opened up on time today. This solution is just not acceptable to me or many of the parents out there.

Thumbs down to Middle Country School District. It is just snow…if you needed more help you should get the teachers involved and get them to shovel some snow. Maybe it will make them appreciate their tenure status more.

(1 votes, average: 1.00 out of 5)

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