Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Hi, Mrs. (fill in your last name) it is the School Nurse.

Ok...so the new school year has started AND we have already had two calls from the school nurse and the therapist has had to intervene. Last weds. we were vomiting and today she has a "sore" ankle that is causing her throat to hurt. Which apparently means that she needs to be at home because it could be contagious. I am so glad Dr. Rose lives in my house! I think I forgot to mention that Weds. is my day off...Ding ding...Can you tell that my frustration is high?

I think on multiple layers, I am frustrated. First, I am frustrated that I had a long meeting with her teacher regarding her scams. I gave her the Nancy Thomas letter for teachers, which I highly doubt she actually read. She announced that she was very aware of and adept at dealing with a RAD kid...Apparently this isn't true since she has already sent my child to the nurse! She seemed like a smart cookie when we met with her. She seemed to be tough but fair, so we thought that we might actually have a teacher that could deal with this kid and not get sucked in. Literally a week in and Bam the kid wins!

I am also frustrated because the school system has rules that are set up for "normal" kids. Granted, I understand the rules and why they have them. I concede the need for them. But they are very frustrating to me as the parent of a child that uses them for evil! She knows the vomit=home rule so she did it where the teacher would hear or see her, then (this is my favorite part) tells the teacher I will punish her for going to the nurse. What kind of harsh mother am I?

As far as the teacher...she has been warned...If she gets scammed, it is on her. She suffers a bad school year because of it....

The school nurse was great. She explained that they need a note from some practitioner saying this is all psychiatric. The therapist was hesitant to write a letter due to the legal implications but she called her. The nurse said that just because she had to go home, didn't mean we had to hurry. So the day she went to the nurse, my husband picked her up five minutes before school ended. And she said she is happy to call me and send her back to class since she knows it is bogus. Finally, a person with reason...AND she didn't give Rose the sympathy she wanted.

Sooooo...I am a horrible mother right? Hahaha...Of course I am not! I am the voice of reason and one of the three people on the face of the earth that she can't scam. Yay me!

ON a bright note, Andrew McCarthy is going to be on Regis and Kelly. My all time favorite movie is Pretty in Pink. Of course, I am sure that has nothing to do with his visit....But I still love him.

Gotta take happy moments when you can! Be Well!

3 comments:

Brenda said...

This is a hard one. They are so sad. They are in pain. It just isn't physical. It is hard for others to see.

Perspective RAD said...

WOW!.. vomiting on cue. that's a survival skill beyond my comprehension. In Kindergarten my son was working the system. The first week of school he was roaming the halls even though I would get him to school 30 min early. I was like doesn't anyone notice my 6 year old.. can you please get him to class. They totally put it all on him. I went through almost two years of fighting his school only to come to the conclusion that the staff was over worked, under paid, and didn't really have time to meet my son's needs on his terms. His kindergarten year they sent him to the office 10 times. I was like at what point do you realize,"THIS ISN'T WORKING!". They don't get it! Finally Feb of last year, I pulled him during his first grade year because I was tired of him coming home everyday with bad marks, and he was getting further behind on his school work. He did the nurses office bit too! It was the best thing for us. I started homeschooling him, and he can just now do all the things I beat my head against a wall to get him to do last spring. He's finally come to a place where he's ready. The public school system here in Texas doesn't have anything for parents of children with severe behavior issues outside of a list of professionals, and medication suggestions. The Vice Principal actually compared RAD to Diabetes! so frustrating -- I totally understand. But my son is much better now that he's at home. It's taken me 6 month to figure out what works, but it's been worth it.

C said...

My dd9 took a toy into the van the other night (after she asked, "Can I take a toy?" and I replied, "Not tonight!"). Anywho, I asked for it and put it in the front seat next to me.

We walked into church and all of the sudden she had a terrible stomach ache. "Could it be something else? Can you use your wor ..." "NO!!! I think I'm going to throw up!!!!"

So, I got her comfy next to me for Bible Study, with a trash can in case she needed to ralph.

When we got home, it was 7:30 pm. I said, "Alright, honey, why don't you get ready for bed so you can get to sleep!"

"WHAT?"

"Well, you're sick. You need a little extra sleep."

Wailing. "But I'm better now!!"

"Unless, of course, you have something you need to tell me and you can use your words."

Wailing stopped immediately. She used her words.

"That was great, sweety. Maybe next time you can do it sooner."