They seem fine. But it’s only day one. By the time I send this, this past week will have seen my 20th wedding anniversary, the addition of a new boy to our household of the canine variety, and both of my children back at school. It’s a lot in one week, but then it’s been […]
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When capacity runs out It’s the end of term, and I’ve been thinking a lot about capacity. Why is it that, just when so many of our children are already running on empty, the summer term becomes the busiest time of the year? The routine changes almost daily. Sports days. School plays. Visitors. Special activities.
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The joke wasn’t really about the spider This week I’ve been reflecting on something that happened years ago. I was talking to another parent recently about something that had happened at school for their child, and it resurfaced an old memory for me. At the time, my child was barely managing school. Attendance was patchy.
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You put my life into words I opened my inbox this week to find an email from another parent. She had just read my article in Special Needs Jungle and felt compelled to get in touch. She told me I had “hit the nail on the head” and that reading it had made her realise
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If you’re bracing yourself for Christmas, I get it Every year, as soon as Halloween is out of the way, I notice things start to shift in our house. Anxiety creeps up before any of the “fun” has even begun. And it’s funny, because Christmas is actually liked here. There’s excitement. There’s genuine anticipation. There’s
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The things the world never sees Over the years, I’ve met many families whose children mask. Some of their stories will stay with me forever. One mum told me her daughter was known at school as the perfect pupil – polite, kind, no trouble at all. But the moment she got home, she’d go on
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When “fine” at school isn’t really fine When my child was still in mainstream education, they were an expert masker. At school they looked happy, compliant, even sociable. They smiled, joined in, did as they were told. On the surface, they seemed fine. But the moment we got home, it would unravel. Their nervous system
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