My son was about 3 1/2 years. Every day was a melt down. Let me repeat that, every day, every hour, every moment. I could not figure out how a precious little perfect baby boy had turned into a melt down machine waiting to explode.
It was a couple months before he turned 2 and a month before #3 was born that he morphed into this child. I figured it was the terrible twos, but we were a year and a half later and it was just uglier. Thankfully, I was on the phone with a high school friend telling her about my precious son and my trials (clearer picture, I was cringing with complete frustration that I had an out of control kid with obvious behavior problems.)
The light was turned on. She told me, she had the same problems with her son and then he got speech therapy and transformed back to his preciousness. I had never considered that he needed speech, he was just slow to talk. And then the light came on, at 3 1/2 years old, I only understood about 20% of what he said. What that is not normal?!
By the time we went through all the hoops to get him into the public school therapy, he was 4 and I could already understand about 50%. Well in that next year in the VPK program with speech therapy, he is 100% understandable. He is also a happier kid.
I absolutely had no idea how frustrated the little guy was. Now that I look back, I feel like a horrible mom. I was so frustrated with him too. I mean, I was buying into the bad mommy phsyco-ness of maybe he did not spend enough time with his dad. (I was seriously thinking of packing a briefcase for the little guy and sending him to work, it would have made my day so much easier).
Now that my son is not frustrated and can communicate, you have got to see the wide eyes of shock when I tell them that I am keeping him home. Gasp! I here all kinds of responses. The speech therapist convinced my husband that my son will digress. I have been told his behavior improvements is the result of structured environment with socialization. I was also told he needs to be challenged.
At all of these accusations, I laugh in the face of controversy. So really, I scratch my head at friends and family that have such good intentions, but no idea what my reality is really like.
1. So will my son digress in his speech? Umm, I don’t think so. Now that the kid can be understood he never STOPS talking. Trust me, there are days that his lack of articulation would be welcomed so the girls have no idea the names he is calling them or the sing song taunting he is so good at. The reality is, this child has now learned how to use his mouth correctly and a mom to gently remind him when he forget to. Backsliding will not be a problem.
There are programs available to do speech at home and then there are also private speech therapist that will do all the speech therapy you need or guide you and evaluate your needs and progress to stay the course. so we will not be dropping out of a speech program.
2. Is my kid more socially adapted because of school? Uh, no. When I hear of comments that school has done so good for him, well sure it has, because speech was part of it. On a side note, I do not think that public education is a waste, I believe it is what you make of it. And for me and my house it is just not for this momma.
If my kid ends up being a weird homeschooler, trust me they would be a weird public schooler too. In fact, if they are one of those kids, they are better off being with their own kind. At least until the self confidence is obnoxiously good, that they would never know a difference and the rest of us can be the weird ones. It is all about perception.
3. Will the boy will be challenged? Are you kidding, if anyone can challenge him, it is his momma. How in the heck can a teach be focused on him, when they have a classroom of kids. If he needs anymore challenging, I can challenge him to pick up his room until he is good at it and then we can move on.
Ha! Showed you, didn’t I? An answer for everything, trust me I have them. So we are working on making it all work. I will promise you, I do not have it all figured out. In fact I had to quit homeschooling after 2 months last year, so my husband is a little untrusting of me.
My only theory is, I have to homeschool them, it is a desire that burns in me, long before having kids. I cannot make it go away and I will never be satisfied until I am just doing it. My other thought is, if this desire that God has put in me than He will provide. So I am winging it and I will not get over ran in the desire to be perfect, just done.
So with that note, I guess I will take these hoodlums to the library. Isn’t that where weird homeschool kids go to hang out, that and the local riff-raff. And trust me, we are the local riff-raff.
~trish
love ya Trish!!!!
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