Ok, I know I've been AWOL for a while. Things have just been busy around here. I've been doing better, less overwhelmed, but still busier than a one-legged man in an ass kicking contest.
I just need to brag for a minute. I'm gonna take the time to give myself a pat on the back. I have Jake's annual review meeting in the morning. He is doing well, and he has a great team working with him. Events at my own schools this week have caused me to reflect on how far Jake and we as a family have come. He's always been a great kid, no doubt. But he is doing so well right now. I think that some kids don't have the benefit of involved parents and that their disabilities are significantly compounded by their parents (we refer to this as 'parentally impaired.' This is not as of yet a category for special ed classification, but it should be.)
Tonight, Jake was filling me in on the goings on in school. A new student in another 2nd grade class. The presence of another (?) ex-girlfriend, although he refused to name names. And then he told me that another classmate referred to himself as 'ugly.' It broke my heart for this little guy, who is not, perhaps, the most well adjusted child. It makes me sad that he thinks that of himself.
So, I asked Jake what he thinks of himself. He couldn't give me an answer. This is where his different thinking comes into play. My question was too open-ended. I re-phrased and asked Jake for five words to describe himself. Ticking off my fingers he replied:
Awesome
Creative
Lovable
Nice
Friendly
Because we were on a role, I then asked him to use five words to describe me. He, again ticking off my fingers, said:
Also Awesome
Smart
Nice
Compassionate
Kind
Yeah, I'm patting myself on the back, at least for tonight.