Could THIS be what LESS STRESS feels like???

[gcvmom]

Since difficult child 1 started homebound instruction on Thursday, I have noticed a gradual feeling of calm and relaxation creeping over me!!! It is amazing how much worry over his attendance, grades, homework, etc., I was carrying around every. single. day.

Now that I don't have to worry about getting him medicated early for school, getting him up and out the door for school, whether or not he made it to all or just some of his classes because of the IBS, whether or not he'll have the attention span or energy to complete his homework for the day, much less the assignments he's missed, whether he followed up with a teacher on materials he needs for a missed assignment, whether he's well enough to go to LAX practice... I could go on, but you get the picture.

I've gone from feeling like this:

To feeling like this:

Who knows, my hair might finally stop falling out now!

 

[Andy]

Good for you! Glad you found a less stressful solution. I hope that holds true for difficult child. Do you notice a calming response in him also?

I can just feel that heavy burden being lifted from your shoulders.

ENJOY!!!

 

[tiredmommy]

 

[KTMom91]

I hope so...you've had more than enough!

 

[Jena]

omg you too?? i have clumps coming out lol. good 4 u. i feel the same regarding the school thing. no school refusal is great.

 

[Wiped Out]

Crossing all body parts it continues!!

 

[timer lady]

Amazing ~ we don't even know what calm is, do we Chicken Lady? Keeping fingers crossed that this continues.

 

[gcvmom]

It is amazing TL. :-/

Of course, nothing lasts forever. No sooner do I post this than husband informs me his parents are coming. It was nice while it lasted...

 

[Marguerite]

You know you're both relaxed when he is doing his schoolwork while you're both still in pyjamas... almost every day now, difficult child 3 starts work still in his PJs. He then stops after an hour, has breakfast, gets dressed, watches educational TV while he does, then gets back to work.

A tip - if there is a movie or documentary or anything on TV you want him to watch, make popcorn and watch it with him. They never do THAT at school!

Marg

 

[gcvmom]

He is much more relaxed lately, Marg, and it's only been a week! His tutor had to cancel today, so he did some work for about 90 minutes this morning, and since he's feeling good today, I took him out to the store. We had a nice lunch, did some light shopping and just came back home. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much, but it really is nice with him right now.

 

[Marguerite]

It sounds like the anxiety levels have been way too high, and are now a lot lower. That alone can count for a great deal of improvement.

I'm glad it's going well! But keep the schooling up, even when you're out shopping. Get him to help you plan a meal, for example. That means work out what ingredients have to be bought, budget for them, go buy them, work out how long it will take to cook and so on. Not doing it all by himself, of course, but it's all a matter of teaching him the process and involving him in it. Shopping to a list or a budget is a good part of a maths plus life skills lesson. Just finding stuff on the shelves is tricky. Learning that the more economical brands are often the ones not advertised, or not put in the most convenient places, can be a huge eye-opener for a kid and is also a very important social lesson. Here in SAustralia, it is part of the school curriculum to teach kids about advertising. They learn to be discerning consumers and learn to object if they see advertisers openly lying and thereby breaking the law.

Shopping can be a huge education! And it's fun to share it with your kids. You just do what you can and don't sweat the rest. They WILL learn!

Marg

 

[Marg's Man]

Marg said

But keep the schooling up, even when you're out shopping.

Just don't TELL him it's part of his education!

Marg's Man