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| He helped create this costume for a book parade. |
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I have started this post so many times! First I went with the title, “School Update” and then “How to keep eating with a stomach bug!”
but every time I have started writing a post Christopher has gotten sick within
24 hours, my brain became foggy and finding the right words to share about our
adventures through kindergarten felt impossible.
So here I am again, hopeful to finish my peace before we
gear up for another adventure!
This
year has been filled with continual unpredictability. I must admit that for a type A personality, who takes
comfort in some level of routine and organization, I have found myself continually
stretched. Although Christopher
has not been hospitalized so far this year, he has missed 23 days of school due
to illness and several other half days.
Sick
days for Christopher come with varying degrees. There are days when he is so sick that all we can do is
sleep, read, and head to the toilet, but most sick days with Christopher are
due to colds and viruses. These
typically leave him run down and more tired, but capable of accomplishing some
educational activities. During the
first couple days of a cold he stays home to get extra rest, hydration and fuel
(calories) to help fight the virus without going into crisis. On these days I try to let him sleep in
longer and add a nap mid-day. We
do at least two hours of “home-schooling” with frequent hydration/food breaks
to keep his “brain fueled up”.
Then we attempt a puzzle, make a Lego creation, read books, or watch a
movie. His sick days look so
different than the ones that I had as a kid, and I believe they really need
to. When I was sick all I
remember doing is sleeping, reading and watching TV…but I knew early on this
year that Christopher would miss more school than the average kid, and I didn’t
want this to mean he missed out on the opportunity to learn! Supplementing at home is challenging
and fun; I will talk more about this in another post!
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| Christopher and his two best buddies at the pumpkin patch. |
This
year has felt a little chaotic to me because Christopher goes to school for a
couple days (max two weeks), gets sick, stays home, goes back to school,
finishes getting over his cold, and then within a couple more days comes down
with something else.
Yet,
Christopher still loves school!
He
loves learning from other caring adults, he loves his friends and he loves the
challenges that being in another environment brings.
At this point Christopher seems fine with his time at school
being a little different than his friends, and when I asked him if he felt like
he missed a lot of school this year, he said, “No…maybe like three days!”
So although I have found our rhythm to
be challenging, right now I wouldn’t consider doing anything else.
He is happy, thriving, and enjoying
life!
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| He was so excited for his choral concert! |
I
am continually reminded how every child is different and what they need to
thrive with a chronic condition is not always what we expect.
For our family this has meant
really seeking to understand Christopher, keeping him a part of the
conversation around education and his activities, and being okay with
evaluating and trying again.
For
example, I thought that Skype would be a great way to keep Christopher a part
of class routines this year during absences and help him transition back into
the class on well days.
I knew
this had helped other children!
Yet, after trying Skype a couple times at home while he was sick, he was
very clear with me, “Mom, when I am at home I just want to be at home and when
I am at school, at school.”
I had
never imagined that Skype would be anything but positive for him!
Yet, as I think about Christopher’s personality,
it makes perfect sense he didn’t want to use Skype.
He really enjoys being in the moment, and Skype can confuse
that!
Also, although I worried
about his transition from sick days at home to going back to school, he is an
extrovert and this transition was exciting for him not anxiety producing!
So we have set aside Skype temporarily,
but it’s a great tool to have and possibly use as he gets older!
Overall,
it has been a good year! I
wouldn’t trade it. There have been
bumps and hiccups along the way, but we are all learning! The teachers, administration,
Christopher and our family are all trying to work together to understand what
school will look like, and every year I am sure will look a little different.
