Charlie taking Inititive

Charlie is a special child. I start by saying this because I love him even with all the disheartening things that we have been thru, I do love my child. He has been in school since he was about 8 months old. That is a long time for a 15 year old child and it is not because he is accellerated or a high achiever and in college now! He is "developmentally delayed" and it was noticed when he was 8 months old, so we were told to get him into school for handicapped children, in a program called Preschool Intervention. It was one on one with physical and occupational therapists, and speech therapy was introduced later.

I can say it has been a struggle, dealing with a DD child, and a husband with drug and alcohol addiction, along with my own emotional troubles and depression. I can also say that if I had a chance to do it all over again, I would NOT. Not because Charlie is tough to deal with, but more so because I am not the parent that I would like to be. I want to be patient, loving and kind, attentive and nurturing, and I am rarely any of these, and certainly not all of them even... I want to be involved more with him, but find that his interests and mine are not compatible. He only wants to talk cars and stereos, and stereos in cars! This is part of his disease, but it drives me absolutely, totally crazy, and I tend to tune him out most of the time, which really angers him when I do not answer the way he wants or thinks that I should.

I digress from what I intended to write about so I am going to turn back to it.. ;0)

Charlie was enrolled in Biology, which at the school he is attending is a required 10th grade course. Charlie already took Biology and so needs to get into a different science class. I told him that I would have to contact his councelors and talk with them about getting this change. He apparently took it on himself and went in and made an appt to talk with them about this. I am so proud of him. He took inititive!! He wanted to be at school early today in order to get in there and talk with them, and I am sure that he was able to take care of it all by himself, with no mom intervention.

Sigh. My boy is growing up and gaining responsiblity. It sure takes a load off my shoulders.

In His Loving Arms...