Jason often teases Ainsley by telling her that he refuses to let her grow up, that she must remain five years old forever. She always scrunches up her nose and retorts with a resounding "But Daddeeee, I'm six!" And while I wish we could keep her as she is now, forever adoring and still somewhat obedient, I know this is just not possible.
Jackson, on the other hand, cannot grow up fast enough. We have had a very difficult time of it lately with Mr. Man. He is absolutely defiant, onery and just plain mean sometimes. We have tried every means of discipline we know, some we have been educated on by our pediatrician, and all have failed miserably. Not only has his behavior not improved, it has actually gotten worse. Something I didn't think was possible.
We are absolutely at the end of our ropes. Terribly frustrated and looking for both someone to blame and someone to help. We catch ourselves barking at each other, and remind one another that this is a terribly stressful time for us, one we hope to get through quickly and without any permanent scars or innocent casualties.....
I am scheduled to attend his parent-teacher conference this morning. Last week his teacher sent me an email, after I inquired about coordinating efforts between school and daycare. Here's an exceprt:
"We are working with Jack on some individual goals such as answering yes/no questions and pointing to items when given a choice of 2 to 3 to demonstrate understanding of the lesson/story....He is not attempting to repeat most words, but he will attempt to repeat/vocalize some words throughout the day....One of the main areas I am focusing on is getting to participate in the group life of the class with less adult prompting. He does not like to play on the play ground, I often walk with him up the stairs and go down the slide with him to get him started as he wants to sit on the bench. We are working on how to play with the toys in the classroom and the playground equipment.
He does much better when in a one on one situation with the adult as he often does not follow directions given to the group but needs them repeated to him independently. Jack also requires extended wait time to respond we usually give him 20 to 30 seconds before prompting again. With the extended wait time he will attempt to answer the question/follow the direction the first time given 50% of the time."
This morning when dropping jack off to daycare, his teacher informed me that before his bus comes in the morning he won't play or interact with the other children. He sits quietly in a chair against the wall, and watches. The same in the classroom, with little, if any, interaction with his classmates. But his behavior at both daycare and school is angelic. Really. He is the perfect little helper according to his educators.
We have come to the conclusion that before we completely lose our sanity, Jason and I have to talk to someone. A therapist who specializes in dealing with the challenges special needs children often present. Our gracious Pediatrician, Neurologist, and daycare Social Worker are all searching for such a person. Surely one exists somewhere.....
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