focused message about what made James different. Like ad copy: “You know how most kids yawn when they’re tired? Well, this one runs up and down the house like a greyhound.” In this way I graduated from Ph.D.-level babysitters to preschool assistant teachers, Teach for America people, and budding speech/language therapists. That’s
You don’t need an expert, but you do need someone who will keep major routines consistent. where I remain today, when my mom’s unavailable. Most importantly, I troll for sitters at James’s school, looking for people who he already knows and feels comfortable with. Any sitter must be able to accept that some children are different and that parents know their own children better than anyone else. I avoid the Know-It-All, who tries to reassure me that she doesn’t need my instructions, that she’s perfectly capable of handling James, and that he’s not really so different from other children, after all. All these statements are true, most of the time. But no matter how well James does with babysitters, and he does very well nowadays, the stakes are higher because of his autism, even higher than they are for his younger sister. And that’s because, for children with autism and other special needs, major routines are all-important. I’m not talking about which book is read www.sonomafamilylife.com
before bed or how many times you say goodnight. I’m talking about how much and when they eat and drink, when they use the bathroom, when and if they take any medication, and when they fall asleep. A slight variation in any of these can result in such ills as bedwetting, night waking, early morning waking, stomach upset, and fussiness for days afterward. None of which are a good follow-up to my wild night on the town. So that’s it. You don’t need an expert, but you do need someone who will keep major routines consistent. Someone who understands how important that is. And that person is most likely to be someone you already know or someone who has experience with special needs kids. No Ph.D. required.
Fall 2017-18 Preschool Enrollment
Currently Taking Enrollment: • Children’s Circle 2.5-3.5+ yrs. • Kinderclub 3-5 yrs. • Montessori in Motion 3-6 yrs. Quality Affordable Preschool ● 7:1 ratio ● Credentialed Experienced Teachers Windsor Parks & Recreation 9291 Old Redwood Hwy. Bldg. 300D www.townofwindsor.com/preschool
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Once you’ve met the potty/food/ bedtime requirement, anything else is extra. At our house, the extras are the best part. There was Jessie, the Teach for America teacher who had a rollicking “tuck-in machine” shtick. Then came Marcia, the preschool teacher who served dinner picnic-style on the playroom floor. And now we have Ben, camp counselor extraordinaire, who organizes tournaments that get the kids interested in board games that normally gather dust on the shelf. When we get home from our wild night out, the kids are in bed, bellies full and bladders empty. The next morning, they wake up happy, ready to share stories of the night’s adventures. Just like we are. ¶ Lynne Adams is a child psychologist turned parenting writer. Find more of her work at lynnadamsphd.com.
September 2017
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