Rant... Vent... Flip Out!!!!

Since having my kids I have found that for some reason I am treated like a lesser parent. Like since I am the parent of special needs children, it is ok to judge, belittle, criticize or question me openly, because I do not deserve the same respect as other parents. Through the years I have quietly put up with a lot of nonsense from a lot of different people. I was raised to respect people, and handle situations with grace. I am starting to think people basically just view me as weak. I am not. It takes a lot of strength to keep my cool as people make dig after dig. I do not flip out. I do not blow up. Trust me, it would be easy to yell at people... what I do takes a lot of strength.

So many things have been happening lately. To be completely honest, my brain is playing Russian Roulette; indecisive of what subject to pounce on first.

First lets talk about unprofessional-ism. In my opinion it is extremely unprofessional to speak negatively of a family to whom you preform any sort of services for. Now, I am not going to say which services... which organizations... any of that. What I will say is that there is a funny thing about being me and that is that I ALWAYS find out what is being said.

Now let's talk about parenting choices. I have chosen to home school Gage. That's right... as a parent I have made a "parenting choice". Imagine that. It is mine and my husbands choice and this is what we have chosen. Our Pediatrician backs this up. Our Occupational Therapist backs this up. Our PCA backs this up. I will say this though... no one HAS to back this up. It is our choice as parents, so back your trains up.

Bo and Cote have compromised immune systems. In a nutshell this means they get sick a lot easier than most kids. Each year as they get stronger and stronger, they get sick less and less. This school year they have caught three stomach bugs and an icky cold. Bo and Cote as sicko's is an awful experience. They cry and refuse to eat (which is not an option for them) and they get very lethargic. When they get sick we have to cancel things like therapies, appointments, class, ect. We don't do it for fun, and I can guarantee we are not having a good time. It is Hell. So on that note let me just say I don't appreciate comments about their health. As innocent as your comment could be, try and remember I will hear those innocent comments from dozens of people in just the space of just a few days. It chips away at the scrap of patience I have left until I can sense I am giving the people around me "crazy eyes". To close this tiny topic I will just drop a reminder that under no circumstances should I ever be expected to justify why my kids are sick or at home.

Topic Four: Bo and Cote attend school at home because that is what we have decided to do for now. Bo and Cote's ages are three and two. At these ages would you send your kid to school? They are toddlers and should be allowed in some parts to be toddlers. Now lets throw out their Cognitive ages. Bo is ABOUT 10 months and Cote is ABOUT 4 months. Would you send your 10 and 4 month old's to school? Honestly, they deserve to be little kids as much as possible. I do not deny that they need extra educational aspects, that is why we have their teacher do home visits. As to the constant question of when they are going to attend classes at the school???? I DON'T KNOW AND I AM NOT WORRIED ABOUT IT.

Gage's Hair- He wants to grow it out... end of story. If this is a problem for you, don't look at it.

Topic Six: Socialization aspects for the kids... it's under control.

You could never imagine what my life is like. I blog, but even in these little documents, I never give the whole story. I protect every single person in my life (besides my husband) from the full truth, because it is honestly just too much for anyone to swallow. If anyone out there thinks that the job I am doing here is not good enough, I challenge you to come here and do this for 24 hours.

I wrote this blog to maybe help people understand that I am affected by words. Whether they are to my face or behind my back... I am affected. Gage, Bo and Cote take every single ounce of sanity and patience I have, so please understand that I have none left over to deal with this sort of stuff. After my kids sap my energy, I still need to scrounge some up for running to appointments, therapies, school, cleaning house, laundry, grocery shopping, phone calls and paperwork. I have absolutely none left over for adults.

As a parent, I am going to be examined under a microscope for the rest of my life. Every decision I chose to make for my kids will always be argued and criticized and frankly it is ridiculous. I will have to make the sorts of decisions you only have nightmares about, so how about as a community you perhaps choose to support me? Support my family. Support our decisions. Love my children. Give them a chance. All I want is to know I have a community who supports me and all my kids want are playmates and hugs from grown ups. You will never find another family more open, understanding and unconditionally loving than ours.