My kids are growing up

My kids are growing up.

Which is, of course, completely obvious. That's what kids do. Yet it still needs to be said.

My kids are growing up.

This time last year I was writing about the difficulties Master L was having at school. He had endured a year of being bullied. His individual funding had been taken away, so he was getting much less support at school. I feared this year would be worse. 

Despite all the problems he was having, L managed to continue to perform well academically, and the school took the step of moving him into the Gifted class for this year. This had the effect of taking out of the way of the bullies and into a setting where learning was more of a focus than socialising, and it turned out to be what he needed, for the most part. 

The first half of the year went well. The second part of the year got harder as work load increased and fatigue began to set in. 

School is still a hard place for my boy. Communication is still an issue. Sensory overload is still an issue. Unexpected change is still an issue. He still does not like school. 

But he recognises its purpose for him. 

We were talking about the fact that he will need to return to the general population of students next year, and he was expressing nervousness about that, and a desire to not go to school, but to be homeschooled instead. 

It is an idea that Hubby and I have kept in the back of our minds for the past two years, and will continue to. If L reaches a point that any academic and learning benefit of him remaining at school is outweighed by his stress we will need to remove him from school. 

But when we last talked to him about it he told us that he can see the benefits of being at school because there he has resources available to him that we cannot provide in a home schooling environment. Despite it being hard for him, he will continue to go and cope with the difficult parts. 

Yes. He is growing up. And I am proud.


As always I asked for and received Ls permission to publish this.