difficult child update

[crazymama30]

difficult child leaves this morning to go to Tule Lake California. He will be back Thursday. They have been studying WWII, and apparently Tule Lake was on of the sites of the Japanese internment camps. He is so excited. Tommorrow they will spend the day as the Japanese did and eat similiar food and so on. I love this school, they have "no tech" field trips. No cell phones, games, mp3's, just a camera. I would go nuts on the drive without music, but I can see where that keeps many problems at bay.


I am so excited that he gets to go on this fun stuff and his behavior has been such that he can go.

His IEP has mostly behavioral stuff on it, one of them is that when he is involved in an incident, he will be able to give the other person's perspective and why what he did would be upsetting to them. He has done this most times! Last year he never did it. The teachers love him, the director(aka principal) loves him, and he loves this school.

He is still very definately a difficult child, but is so much better (nekkid chicken dance to ward off board curse). His therapist might be starting DBT with him--she is a big fan of this typ of therapy and while it was originally developed for borderline's, from what I have read about it, it may be a really good thing for him. She says he is doing so much better than he was last year, can identify his feelings, and that was one of my main goals for him. When my depression was at its worst, I was sitting in the living room and he turned to me and said I looked so sad. I was blown away. He used to never be able to see past himself.

So let's hope this trip goes well. I am actually not too worried about it, how could I be not a little worried?

 

[LittleDudesMom]

well, i'm not naked but I'm doing the chicken dance for you as well!

Sounds like the program is working. Also sounds like a great trip. My difficult child would love it. Did your difficult child read the "Boy at War" series? He might really enjoy it. It's about a young boy whose father was on one of the ships that was destroyed at Pearl Harbor. The boy has a friend who is Japanese American. It covers a lot of issues as well as the maturing of this young man. I think there are three of the books and they are an easy read. My difficult child read them all last year and loved them.

Dancing a little more for good luck!

Sharon

 

[Star*]

(as a nudist)......

I shall dance in the moonlight with livers taped to my elbows for you and your son anyday....er night.

YOU SOUND TREMENDOUSLY HAPPY! Nice to see that your son could recognize and comment about someone other than himself. That's always such a revelation to US as Moms. A day to remember for sure.

Glad to hear he's doing well.

Hugs & Love & Dances.....wooooo hooooo
Star

 

[flutterby]

Way to go, difficult child!!!

And way to go, Warrior Mom.

I'm so happy to read such a positive update.

I tell ya, I think there is this magical thing that happens when they hit a certain age (around puberty) where they all of a sudden develop insight. It really is something that doesn't develop until later and I think with our kiddos' mental illness it takes a bit longer. Insight is an executive function and that is impacted by mental illness. I know with my difficult child is was like a switch was flipped and all of a sudden she could see and understand these things, whereas before she was clueless about it.