Whatever I write, however it turns out, it is from the heart. I say right from the start that this is NOT about good writing, it is about my daughter, her struggle, and myself as her mother guiding her blindly through it, and praying that all will come right for her.
It's what you do, as a mother, when faced with a situation where your child needs you desperately; you, because you know her, you get her, and all her little ways that other people constantly find intensely irritating, and don't mind letting you know it. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of very kind, understanding people out there too, as I have found out of late, and boy am I grateful to them, but, ultimately it's up to you, relying on your instinct as a mother, to do the right thing by your child, whatever that may be.
In our case, after nearly two years of constant bullying and major anxiety issues, combined with dyslexia and possible Autism Spectrum Disorder, (we are still waiting on the results of that one), the right thing appeared to be to remove her from mainstream secondary school.
This may sound like something I did lightly, but it wasn't. It sounds easy, it's not that either. I've never been a 'home school' advocate. My other two children went straight through school with little problem, and it was never something I'd ever considered. Until recently.
A sleep study at a highly regarded hospital showed beyond any doubt that my child's regular nightmares were due to extreme anxiety, and I was informed of this by a doctor in no uncertain terms. I came away thoughtful, upset for her, and more than a little frightened for both of us. Frightened for her, of what may happen if I let this situation continue, and frightened for myself, knowing what I had to do, but the opposition I could be up against if I did it.
Somehow I found the strength during those very early days to fight my corner, and now we are all reaping the benefits. Our family, which had become a haven of confrontation, was suddenly relieved of this tension, and familial harmony resumed.
We still have a long way to go, but I'm hopeful that my beautiful, intelligent girl, who is a sponge for knowledge, will find her way back with me to a life of independence into adulthood, regaining the confidence she had been stripped of at school.
Next time will be a little lighter, sharing the good and bad days of living with a child with #dyslexia , #homeeducating/homeschooling and the random things my not so little one does 😉🙆🏻
