I never had any plan of becoming a teacher.  Then suddenly along with my roles as mom, advocate, program manager, holistic nutritionist, coach, driver, shopper, cook and housekeeper, I suddenly became a homeschool teacher!  Some people complained of boredom during the quarantine weeks of this pandemic, but for parents, especially parents of special needs children, life became almost unmanageable! 

This pandemic has been difficult for us.  Clara has 22q11 deletion and autism and flourishes when her days are structured and we aren't "winging it".  She thrives on face-to-face contact.  This gentle child is definitely a hugger, not a fighter (except when it comes to her health).   She's missed her friends and teachers.  She's a little person with a big impact in the world.  She loves a stage and an audience - and somehow all 1300 kids and 200 staff in her school knew who she was a few weeks after starting there last fall; unfortunately both her stage and audience have been locked up.

We found out late last week that schools are reopening on September 8th. I say Hallelujah! But I know there are mixed feelings about this. It will be different.  There will be no hugging.  There will be masks.  There will be social distancing.  There will be hand sanitizers and lots of hand washing and surface cleaning.

Am I worried? Not really ... at least about her health - we implemented these hand washing techniques years ago due to her low functioning immune system.  Clara is already used to these measures.   Her diet is clean (thank goodness for her feeding tube!) and that has kept her healthy throughout most of her life after a rough start as a baby. (Do you know that 70% of the immune system is in the gut?)

I am actually more concerned about how back-to-school in our Brave New World will affect Clara's mental health and natural tendencies to physically connect with others and draw people to her.  She's used to hugging her classmates, teachers, and EAs (I truly believe Special Ed. classrooms are the happiest places on earth!); she's used to holding hands when walking somewhere outside to keep her balance (we don't think she has depth perception). But I think I would be even more concerned should she have to remain at home for another few months.  Social distancing has been difficult and her pleas for virtual playdates and then social distancing playdates have been challenging to meet. 

As a parent I find it's easy to worry ... that's part of our job! ... We try to figure out what is looming ahead and take the necessary measures to prepare and protect.  And when not blessed with that preparation time, we hope and pray that we have enough experience and wisdom to act and respond in the best way possible.  Yet as she's grown up and I've had to slowly let go and let her find her way, I have found that Clara has for the most part risen up and accepted many challenges she's had to face (likely better than I ever would!): a new large school; the school bus and getting on and off on her own (she's tiny and those steps are big!); chores at home; setting up for the breakfast club at school; going to the grocery store with her classmates and taking responsibility for her wallet; using the exercise machines at school; managing her monthly period (I chose not to stop it); using her key to let herself into the house after school; wearing a face mask when going into a building now ... 

I wish I could keep her home and protect her forever.  We did that for 5 years when running an in-home autism program (so if she were younger I likely would).  But now I know that she needs to face the world and all that it contains, including the threat of a virus.  She needs to be out in her small world.  And I will continue to pray that she will surprise me once again with her resilience and will find her own way again to let her sparkle shine. 

How are you coping with the thoughts of back-to-school?  Will you send your child or keep him home? What sorts of supports to you need to be able to do this? 

I believe that we are each other's best supports and teachers.  In what ways can you help others and in what areas do you need help? To find out more about Special Needs Experience, please follow me on Instagram @SpecialNeedsExperience