School's Out For Summer

So, we wrapped up the end of the school year. There were some things that worked well, some not so much. FMO became increasingly agitated over his time at school, although it was better than last Fall in some ways. I found myself straying from the plan to let him observe peripherally, and pushing him in an attempt to push him out of his comfort zone. What I did was push him away a bit. He resents the directives and the limits, some of which were necessary, some weren't. It is a very fine line between not giving in to his every whim and setting appropriate boundaries. I definitely floundered more than I anticipated, but that is my learning curve, I suppose. He has been increasingly happy since school let out, and I am hopeful that with only six students in Summer session, he'll experience class in a more relaxed enjoyable way. There were certainly things about school he liked, the toys, the playground, and the kids and teachers. We will see how things look different in light of all the California education and special services budget cuts.

DJO is preparing to return home to Southern California in about a week. It has been great having him stay these almost five months. He has grown a lot, and has a bright future. He is looking forward to attending high school and resuming his all-star basketball career. Maybe someday he'll get rich playing in the NBA and take care of all of us when we're old. We will miss him, but I'm sure we will have many more camping and kayaking adventures together in the future.