Homeschooling in New Zealand

Here is an article I enjoyed reading.

Homeschooling in New Zealand

Vision Therapy

I was talking to one of the doctors at my daughter’s vision therapy the other day. I was commenting on how before we started the therapy she would never guess and now she does (some). The doctor was saying that she has what they call tight vision. She asked if her personality was loosening up as we loosened her vision. It was a light bulb moment. She has mellowed a lot. I thought it was just a confidence thing, but now I can see that it's more than that. The brain is such an amazing thing.

Being a Perfectionist

My daughter played soccer last fall. Actually she only played the last couple of weeks. She just watched and hung out for the first 5 weeks or so. She is a perfectionist. She has to feel totally confident that she knows what's expected of her before she'll do it. It was so frustrating taking her to the field all those times. I actually suggested she quit several times, but she said she didn't want to. It was so great when she finally went out there and played. She smiled and laughed and had a great time. It was a reminder that I have to give her time and relax.

My son drumming

I just had to share this video of my son drumming

Hypotonia (low tone)

With his hypotonia (low tone) and motor-planning challenges, he has never been the best athlete. At the same time, he plays tag and climbs on the playground equipment like all the other kids. (Can't ride a bike, though.) He was on the swim team this past summer and showed promise in back stroke. He was not at the same skill level as his peers, but he was not horrible by any means.

I would like for him to be involved in a sport for all the obvious reasons, and also because I like to feel a part of our community and enjoy watching him gains athletic skill and mature. The problem is that he hates being involved in sports. He started Karate classes and the teacher and atmosphere could not be more supportive and sensitive. Yet, he is balking big time. On Saturday when he was done with a class, he said he had fun. He's expressed some pride in what he'd learned. But then Tuesday we went to the dojo and he refused to go in the room. He said he just didn't want to. He said he still feels a little shy.

I know him well enough to know that if he isn't enjoying something wholeheartedly, he will become less and less willing to do it. Also, the program costs money and requires a large advance payment, and I'm afraid
I'll waste our money.

It is so depressing to have a child who is not typical in this regard. I know it's not the end of the world if he doesn't do this, but at a deeper level, I'm worried he won't engage in life when it's challenging. He won't work past his perfectionism, shyness, and awkwardness, whatever it is. And he is capable, even with his disabilities. At the same time, I have never had the heart for competition and have been pretty inhibited in some respects. I don't want him to be the underachiever I have been.

I know he is unusually sensitive, and that is not a bad quality, but it does make things tough at times.

I also worry that he won't be fit. I already feel guilt about his eating habits. He just won't eat any veggies and eats only bananas and apples.

I know I can get out and take walks with him, etc., that's not really what
I'm concerned about. It's really more the fear I have about his future and his happiness. I know I have no control (or very little), but I still am obligated to give him the best chance possible. A sensory integration/coach told me a year ago that he needed to work on mental toughness. I thought karate might help with that. But now he's probably not going to do it.

I hate it when I can't sleep and I'm overcome with guilt and fear.

Finally, my husband will not do any physical activities with him for
his own good. I feel very over burdened because of that.

We've Got to Be That Light - A Gift to America's Teachers

We've Got to Be That Light - A Gift to America's Teachers (and homeschoolers)

The Explosive Child

I would like to recommend "The Explosive Child". Although my son isn't quite as explosive as those in the book, some of the techniques it mentioned helped us. I was also interested to read stories from other people with much worse problems than mine.

The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children