My Boy

My little man struggles so badly. He's 5 going on 6 in July. He's one of the youngest in his kindergarten and he's also one of the smallest. He's a great kid, but he has some issues. He's very impulsive and doesn't listen to directions when they don't suit him. The school system has never dealt with a kid like my son before. Meaning the usual scare tactics didn't work on him. So my Kindergartener is currently being isolated from the rest of his classmates within a "box" in the classroom. He doesn't get art, music, pe or recess. He eats lunch by himself in the in-house suspension room. All this because he has trouble controlling his emotions and has trouble socializing in large groups. He wants to be the center of attention. When he gets frustrated with someone, he'll hit that person. Never the teacher. But he'll get frustrated with his classmates. The most recent incident happened when he asked a girl to see her artwork in Art class. The girl said no, instead of leaving it at that, my son grabbed her arm to pull it out of his way. Unfortunately, his nails were a little long and probably jagged, because he dug them into her arm. He didn't mean to hurt her he only wanted to see her picture. So because of episodes of uncontrollabe crying and hitting kids, he gets to sit in a box where his only social interaction is with a sign that he can hold up if he needs help.

I feel powerless. Because of my schedule and where I'm working I can't go into the school to discuss it with the teacher and the principle. He's been evaluated for ADD and such, but if you know my son, he has no problem concentrating when it's something he's interested in. And we were told he's just growing up. I don't know what to do. Kindergarten used to be the time that the kids learned to socialize with each other, but now, it's basically 1st grade. He's learning to read and write, and math. They have very short recess. Kids don't get to be kids anymore. I don't know who decided that this is what was best for my kid, but I think someone ought to have a talk with them. Academically, my son is spot on. He was in the highest reading group and knew all the counting he needed to know half way through the year. What he desperately needs is to learn to socialize. I've set up some play dates, but he's fine when it's one on one. The principle suggested I invite a larger group of kids over. Hello!!! Not really wanting to deal with a bunch of 5-6 year old boys on the weekend. If I thought it would help my son, I would, but I think I would just get a migraine. We have a group birthday party next weekend and in May. These may show us what he needs to work on, but it may not.

I've been about two steps away from saying f##k it and quiting my job, but to do that we need to be a little less in debt than we currently are and you can say goodbye to saving for college. Dilemas. I don't think I can get my job to be part time on a full time basis.

Let's just say that life sucks for my son right now. He's five and as long as his self esteem survives he'll make it. Since I told him not to cry anymore, I'll just have to cry for him.