Shari
IsItFridayYet?
Maybe its just the compilation of events recently, but this stung to the core. I am sitting here doing my best not to just throw in the towel. My feelings of adequacy have been tested to the limits for today.
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I just got an email from the school nurse.
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"It has come to my attention that difficult child comes to school and on most days has a terrible hygiene problem. It is now to the point that other students are making comments. I do not want this to escalate to the level of difficult child being made fun of or isolated due to poor hygiene.
Please make sure that he is bathed daily, hair washed, teeth brushed, ear cleaned, nails trimmed and wearing clean clothes daily. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter."
***
Today is the first day EVER that I have sent him in pants that weren't straight from the wash and is because we are having an electrical problem in our house and the electrician that we had out yesterday suggested I not run my washer until its fixed because my washer is a new front-load with a lot of electronics in it. So I sent difficult child to school in a pair of pants that he had worn inside for about 5 hours on Friday. We were late to school because he wouldn't get out of the bathtub. He eats breakfast at school and brushing his teeth is a big sensory thing so I don't always make him brush his teeth in the morning - he gags on bubble gum flavored toothpaste and he can't handle the mint flavors, so he uses his toothbrush dipped in ACT rinse, then rinses with it, as well. We use glycerin soap and natural laundry detergent on his clothes. I don't wash his hair every day because of the sensory thing, but we keep it cut military short, and when we wash his hair, usually we scrub him up with a wash cloth.
***
I want to cry. I am not a clean-freak, but I don't think I'm that dirty, either. Clutter, but not just dirty. Heck, we bathe our dogs once every couple weeks or better, and they are little bitty dogs that spend very little time outside, but they bother me if they don't get their baths.
***
difficult child's sheets get washed at least 5 times a week because he wets the bed almost nightly. Our sheets on our bed might get skipped for 2 or 3 weeks, but his are always clean. I have a small fortune in waterproof pads and sheet sets for his bed, so I always have a set clean.
***
Last week, we lost one of our two deep freezes. Saturday, our remaining one seemed to be on the fritz, and we discovered its an electrical problem, so we spent all weekend trying to keep a 16 cubic foot deep freeze full of our year's supply of meat frozen. husband's mom is in the hospital with gall bladder problems, so he's taking care of their place. I promised the kids a movie, so I took them to a movie yesterday and easy child 2 threw up all over husband's car on the way back, so I had to scrub the car out, all the while worried about the stench in there, then HAND WASH all the puked on clothes and towels. While I was doing that, they left their Easter baskets down and difficult child's dog got into the candy and puked on our bed quilt, so I had to hand wash it, too. Of course, difficult child has wet thru his last set of sheets, and the utility company still hasn't shown up, so I'll be hand washing sheets tonight. And now this....
***
I am mortified and feel like an utter failure who tries way too hard and comes up way too short.
***
I just got an email from the school nurse.
***
"It has come to my attention that difficult child comes to school and on most days has a terrible hygiene problem. It is now to the point that other students are making comments. I do not want this to escalate to the level of difficult child being made fun of or isolated due to poor hygiene.
Please make sure that he is bathed daily, hair washed, teeth brushed, ear cleaned, nails trimmed and wearing clean clothes daily. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter."
***
Today is the first day EVER that I have sent him in pants that weren't straight from the wash and is because we are having an electrical problem in our house and the electrician that we had out yesterday suggested I not run my washer until its fixed because my washer is a new front-load with a lot of electronics in it. So I sent difficult child to school in a pair of pants that he had worn inside for about 5 hours on Friday. We were late to school because he wouldn't get out of the bathtub. He eats breakfast at school and brushing his teeth is a big sensory thing so I don't always make him brush his teeth in the morning - he gags on bubble gum flavored toothpaste and he can't handle the mint flavors, so he uses his toothbrush dipped in ACT rinse, then rinses with it, as well. We use glycerin soap and natural laundry detergent on his clothes. I don't wash his hair every day because of the sensory thing, but we keep it cut military short, and when we wash his hair, usually we scrub him up with a wash cloth.
***
I want to cry. I am not a clean-freak, but I don't think I'm that dirty, either. Clutter, but not just dirty. Heck, we bathe our dogs once every couple weeks or better, and they are little bitty dogs that spend very little time outside, but they bother me if they don't get their baths.
***
difficult child's sheets get washed at least 5 times a week because he wets the bed almost nightly. Our sheets on our bed might get skipped for 2 or 3 weeks, but his are always clean. I have a small fortune in waterproof pads and sheet sets for his bed, so I always have a set clean.
***
Last week, we lost one of our two deep freezes. Saturday, our remaining one seemed to be on the fritz, and we discovered its an electrical problem, so we spent all weekend trying to keep a 16 cubic foot deep freeze full of our year's supply of meat frozen. husband's mom is in the hospital with gall bladder problems, so he's taking care of their place. I promised the kids a movie, so I took them to a movie yesterday and easy child 2 threw up all over husband's car on the way back, so I had to scrub the car out, all the while worried about the stench in there, then HAND WASH all the puked on clothes and towels. While I was doing that, they left their Easter baskets down and difficult child's dog got into the candy and puked on our bed quilt, so I had to hand wash it, too. Of course, difficult child has wet thru his last set of sheets, and the utility company still hasn't shown up, so I'll be hand washing sheets tonight. And now this....
***
I am mortified and feel like an utter failure who tries way too hard and comes up way too short.