As we soldiered on

So after the initial visit to the paediatrician, I was able to give the all clear to Jitter Bug's teachers at school and at daycare. Even though I knew something was different with Jitter Bug, I was glad the paediatrician had declined to carry on with an assessment. No one ever wants their child to have something wrong with them. I held the doctor's lack of concern to me like a comforting blankie. He's fine, the doctor said so. One thing that did unnerve me was the doctor's advice.


He had recommended a behaviour management program that included choosing five behaviours we really wanted to work on and anytime we saw the undesirable behaviour to put Jitter Bug on a five minute time out. Hmm so carry on doing what we're doing? What do these people think I do all day?


I thought after all that, maybe Jitter Bug just had emotional issues stemming from the separation of his father and I and our recent move. So I called our local community children's health centre to set up an appointment with a case worker. They had a program through the centre to help children develop social-emotional awareness.


This program would have been highly beneficial if Jitter Bug had been able to sit for five minutes to participate in the activities. Or if he had been able to focus long enough to take in a word to facilitator was saying. However, he was not so we spent two hours each week, for eight weeks, to create another source of frustration for both Jitter Bug and myself.


In the meantime Jitter Bug was still being sent home from school. On days when I was supposed to be at work or school, I would have to find coverage or explain to the professor why I had to leave. Poor Jitter Bug had developed this perception of himself as "the bad kid", and let me tell you it was a self fulfilling prophecy