Back in Lock Down

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I did manage to escape today. Got a late start, so I went straight to the school for my meetings. I’m really so glad that I decided on this school for T, they’re so very nurturing and if you ever met my son, you’ll know that’s just what he needs. I’ve been known to be a bit over protective but if I must give up my son for seven hours a day, I’m glad that these are the people I’m handing him over to.

The conference was interesting, T is having a couple of social problems, but I think it’s all “doable”, he needs more extracurricular social activities. So that’s what I’m going to give him. It’s completely my fault that he isn’t more involved. Believe it or not, I’m painfully shy. I know you don’t believe me, but it’s absolutely true. Somewhere along the line, social situations, when they involve the parents of my son’s peers, began to scare the s*** out of me. Maybe because we’re without roots, maybe because I feel that we’re so very different from the rest of the world, (whether that’s real or imagined is beside the point, it’s how I feel), maybe because it’s hard to jump right in, when you don’t know a soul. I don’t know, but I’ve made it worse by isolating us, by not getting involved in the more social events, it’s just damn easier to stay home and make our own party. Especially when T was young and before he had been diagnosed as having ADD, I suspected it… I more than suspected it, he was very difficult and little by little it just became more comfortable to keep to ourselves and make our own fun.

So now T is having a hard time making friends. We made a deal tonight he and I… I told him that if he tried harder to go out of his way to make friends, then so would I. He really shows an interest in joining chess club, so that’s our first step. Maybe after the holidays I’ll enroll him in some other sort of class, martial arts or something like that. I don’t want my children to be too overloaded with extra-curricular activities, but I think I’ve erred way too far on the side of caution.

After the meetings, all of which went well and were very productive, I stole away to the scrap-booking store and bought some papers, a brush and some die cuts. It’s such a pleasant store to hang out in and they encourage it. There’s a terrific room in the back that you can use for a dollar an hour. They have tons of non-consumable supplies that you can use, punches, scissors, die-cut machine etc. and you just buy the paper and the things that you need while you’re there, although you’re welcome to bring your supplies with you, as long as you don’t bring all your own paper, I mean they have to make a profit somewhere, right? But I definitely plan on making a day of it there soon.

I left there, went back to pick up T and we really had a great talk the whole way home (it’s a 20 mile drive). I think we came up with really good strategies and a plan or two and after the holidays things are going to be pretty different ’round casa des Schroeder. It’s time.

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