Brave New World

It seems like everyday brings something new to us these days. Mini Me started summer school this week. The bus came by to pick him up on Monday morning (first time on a bus) and I thought I was going to lose it. I put him on the bus and quickly went back into the house. I felt a whole range of emotions I didn't know lived in me. I was excited, sad that he was leaving me, worried that he was scared about this whole new experience that I wasn't there to help him transition through. Turns out he was fine, I was the one who was the wreck about everything. He loves school and his new teachers, which I am grateful for. Now I just need to learn to navigate through the field of people who don't quite understand what it's like to have a sensational child.

These last two weeks marked the end of the school year for us and the beginning of summer vacation. This of course means trying to arrange time for Boy Wonder (Mini's older brother) plenty of time to see two of his best friends. Of course we have been overwhelmingly blessed by the boys that he has chosen as his best friends. I know their families well and they are great families. One of the moms is like my rock. She is strong, in control, and can handle 4 boys under the age of 8 like no mans business. The other (a teacher) is much more mild mannered. She and I have had quite a few conversations about Mini's destructive nature (as well as his diagnosis) and she, being so sweet and mild, simply said to me "oh he's so quiet and sweet, he can't be destructive". That is of course until he was, all over her backyard. Mini likes garden stuff- wire butterflies, glass lights, trinkets of that sort. So it came as no surprise to me that in the ten minutes he was in their backyard with Boy Wonder and his friend that Mini managed to do some damage to some wire butterflies. Of course I apologized profusely and offered to pay for any damage (btw, both boys are costing us a fortune in damaged property already). But still I found that both Boy Wonder and Mini Me were not allowed back over for a while. That was it. Play date hiatus. I didn't tell Boy Wonder that the reason he couldn't go over to his best friends house was because of his brother. That would have just given him more of a reason to despise Mini. Instead, I chose to sweep it under the rug and not mention it to Boy Wonder. But it leaves me to wonder, in a world of people that you think are understanding and sympathetic, are they really? Or are they understanding only until it inconveniences them?

Somedays I feel like I have diarrhea of the mouth. I am constantly explaining to people why I have to follow Mini around to make sure that he's not breaking things, starting a fight, jumping on the neighbors dog and trying to bite them (seriously happened yesterday) or running and screaming down the street. Everyday brings something new. I only pray that that I am up to whatever tomorrow has in store for me.