Preschool week

So Benjamin started school this week. He is going three days a week whereas the rest of his class goes five days a week. I'm pretty sure their parents are just reaping the rewards for free childcare though. Oops, I didn't say that. Disregard that horrible, yet probably truthful comment.

I have been very conflicted about the school situation for quite a few weeks, and it didn't bother me much that we had to wait a bit longer than we had originally thought. We were delayed for the school physical, shots, and then someone who processes paperwork for the special preschool went on vacation. But alas, we finally did get the call that he was placed into an afternoon class right in the middle of his usual nap time. Now there are some days where Benjamin doesn't take a nap, but those days are downright horrible most of the time. We both need for him to take a nap. :) So we're still working out the kinks with his new schedule. He was up at 5am this morning bouncing off the walls. Greeeat.

So back to the major conflict that keeps bouncing around in my head. Warren and I had always assumed that Benjamin would go to preschool, but not at any type of special school. We expected him to go to a preschool that was part of a church as most preschools are around here and everywhere else that we'd want to live. Now most of these start at age 3 and require children to be potty trained, and I can assure you that Benjamin most definitely won't be potty trained by the time he's three. Miracles do happen, I realize, but that is just something that I'm not expecting to happen anytime soon. So anyway, we expected him to be at a school that was christian based and to send him to public school has been rather difficult for us to do. We don't know these teachers and what types of influences Benjamin is being subjected to while he's there. And what about the other kids? Are they all crazy or why exactly are they there? Those were my doubts before I dropped him off on Monday.

All these doubts start to creep up and I have been trying to squash them down all week. It occurred to me this morning that this school is not daycare. The teachers are not daycare workers. They are all trained professionals with many more degrees than I have obtained.... and these kids are there because they need help with whatever their particular handicap is. I saw several children who were blind and they were walking around with their little canes and each had their own aides and it occurred to me that their parents might have thought the same thing when they enrolled their child- that they didn't want to send their kid who was "only" blind to a school filled with crazy kids.

It takes a special kind of person to be a special education teacher and I can't help but to believe that God puts each and every one of them in their profession whether they acknowledge that or not. All of Benjamin's teachers are very sweet people and we really have no complaints thus far. Benjamin has been extremely happy after school, so as long as that persists, I'm right there with him.

my cup runneth over

I have always loved that phrase. My version would be "my teacup runneth over", but the original line comes from Psalms 23:5- You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

My cup always runs over when it concerns Benjamin. Having a child with any sort of disability really gives you so much perspective, I think. The small things make us so happy. It delights us when Benjamin points to a ball and says ball and when we respond with "yes, that's a blue ball" and he responds back with "blue ball" it just sends us over the moon. We were told last year that he may never communicate with words, so any word at all is still exciting. He has about 30 words that he uses spontaneously now, so it is definitely clear that he will indeed talk. His speech therapist placed him in the average 24 month old category for speech, so we're definitely thrilled about that.

I know that there are peaks and valleys with child rearing, but a little perspective can make all the difference in how you view and treat your child. Encourage them in their strengths and recognize their weaknesses as just that- a weakness. Perhaps focusing on their strengths will help them overcome those weaknesses. Time will tell for us all, I suppose.