R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Aretha Franklin, you so had it right.  All I want is a little respect.  Don't we all?

I can hardly believe I'm dealing with the same school as I had last year.  Dayton is so much happier this year, which naturally means so am I.  He's doing so much more work, and I'm not sure why this year is so much smoother than the past two years of struggle and heart ache.  Don't get me wrong...  we still have a very long way to go to get caught up to his peers, but we've made such wonderful progress on all fronts:  behavior, compliance to work, work production, and making friends by being nice and SHARING.  Holly crap.  I never thought I'd see a report come home telling me how Dayton is sharing at school with others!!!  Wow!  I'm so pleased. 

I've dreaded walking into Dayton's school in the past.  We missed the bus this morning, because it's picture day, and we broke his regular routine by having me put gel in Dayton's hair, brushing it and styling it.  As my neighbor says:  "Oh Mylanta."  Breaking Dayton's routine is like having a freaking root canal.  Needless to say, there was some screaming, some "I hate you mom(s)," and some "argh's" flying about.  Missing the bus meant I had to drop him off at his school...  argh... 

Things have changed.  I tried to walk into the school unnoticed, but the principal and the guidance counselor were standing right there, in the office where I had to drop Dayton off...  and they were NICE.  Even the guidance counselor was nice, and this is definitely new as the two of us clash like Pepsi and Coke.  We're so similar, yet so different.  Both of us are stubborn and believe we know best what Dayton needs, and neither one of us cooperates with each other.  But today was different.

We both smiled, both agreed on how much Dayton has improved this year and she offered her condolences for our family's tough times ahead.  She then proceeded to tell me about this wonderful social story series she's found on traveling by air, and how she's purchased a computer strictly for Dayton's use.  She briefly described her plans for Dayton, and how I would take pictures of our trip and she would help to teach Dayton to put all the pictures into a power point presentation to show his class his travels and his stay in BC.  How awesome is this?!  I am absolutely thrilled!!!

Respect.  That's it in a nut shell.  For the first time in two years, I felt respected by the guidance counselor, and I finally felt she had respect for my son.  In turn, she has earned respect back from me.  I now see her as a 'guidance' counselor, and see her guiding not only Dayton, but also me.  And the time I'm going to save having her do the social stories...  Priceless!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T



Consider yourselves hugged,


Lou