Wednesday, September 05, 2007

The Rest of the Sides

Brian's principal called me this morning to tell me that Brian was crying and wanted to come home and did not want to go to the charter school anymore.

Ugg.

I told her that though Brian had remembered his meds this morning, we had just realized that he didn't take them the past two days. I spoke to Brian on the phone and reminded him of what I told him when he decided to go to this school, 20 minutes away. "I am not able to come and get you if you are having a bad day." I reminded him that he was probably feeling this way because he had missed some medication, and he had to figure out a way to cope.

He did. He came home emotionally exhausted and said that he had just been feeling bad. He was going to stay at the charter school. He said that he might even stay there through high school.

So there are more bright sides. This was the first time that Brian had an emotional break down and simply had to go on. Depression and anxiety are real. I know he does not make up how he is feeling. However, he has learned that he can go on. He can deal with it. I did not push him to tell me about his day, but I think he found the other students there more kind when he was falling apart. I don't think he is afraid that tomorrow he will be seen as the crazy kid who started crying.

I think that I will put the fact that Hubby and I did not have to tell him that he was staying at the charter school, whether he wanted to or not, in the "bright side" column too.

Frankie, from what I can tell, did okay at TLC for the first few hours, but broke down and cried at the end. Because he was un-enrolled at the the high school, TLC had to start him without having done all the educational assessments. They did not have work for him to do at his level, so he didn't learn a thing. All he experienced was being bullied to sit straight, hold his pencil in an unusual and uncomfortable way ("and they said to use my best penmanship, but I can't do that if I can't hold the pencil the way that I'm used to!")

When I picked him up he was crying. I took him home and Hubby and I listened. Hubby reassured him that he would get appropriate work and he would graduate from high school. He is not sure we are correct, but his mood brightened considerably when...

...his bras and panties arrived in the mail.

He told me that I was correct that the panties will not fit his current body, but the bras fit perfectly. He was very pleased.

He did not put on any of his new clothes however since he has counseling tonight.

3 comments:

  1. It sounds to me like you did the right thing. Although I certainly realize that depression, anxiety, etc. are really difficult and painful, I think you are right in giving your kids a little "tough love" and making them stay in school.

    Crying one's way out of class may be an effective way of dealing with stress when one is a child, but that's certainly not going to be an effective strategy when one is old enough to be in the job market.

    I don't envy you having to deal with kids coming home crying from school on a regular basis. I hope tomorrow goes better for everyone.

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  2. Wow! Your family certainly has a lot on the plate right now. Just save some room for dessert, I think ya'll need it.

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  3. So "cry it out" works up to the teenage years? -ducks-

    Wheee new clothes, even if it is just underwear! I look forward to hearing what Frankie thinks of bras... yes, my personal opinion is DO NOT WANT.

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