Mother of Boys

Last Day of School

I made the boys a special shirt for them to wear the last day of school. I can’t take credit for the idea, I got it from Cristin.

I have major mommy guilt for being AWOL the last half of the year and really credit the boys teachers for their success. I thought it would be appropriate to publicly thank them by adding it to their shirts.

I believe every teacher of a Turk boy deserves bragging rights! Their teachers got such a kick out of the shirts and felt validated.

Davis walked with all A’s and 1 B. He grew up so much this year and exceeded our expectations as he only got 3 answers wrong on his TAKS test! A huge accomplishment considering his sensory integration issues, lack of comprehension skills, and anxiety.

I was on the verge of tears during the ceremony. I made it through both classes without a hint of a tear. That is… until I saw Christina (Davis’ teacher from last year). Then I lost it and we teared up together.

I’m full of emotions:

Pride, for Davis and all the hard work it took to get to this stage.
Love, for this little guy in whom you have to serve so much.
Fear, for the challenges he will face in Intermediate school.
Exhaustion, for the constant hard work it takes to keep him on task and moving forward.

Unbelief, that we actually made it through Elementary school. Over the years, we have been to physical therapy twice a week, play therapy once a week, countless specialists, Meyer’s Developmental Clinic, Holistic specialist, gluten free/dairy free diet for a year, herbal supplements, and medications. We have gone through developmental testing with psychologist a few times, had to hire an attorney to protect his rights, and have been in more ARD meetings than I can count.

I have had to negotiate, cry, yell, demand, keep my cool when I wanted to explode, suck it up, and humble myself over and over again.

We’ve tried out almost every sport not because he wants to but because he has to gain exposure. We constantly push Davis to try new things, expose him to different environments, and teach him to adapt.

Instead of escaping into lovely novels, I read self help books, autism books, and parenting books every year to keep myself educated and up to date on the needs of my kiddo. I’m constantly having to keep myself in check because you can’ teach what you don’t know. And there’s A LOT I don’t know.

I gave myself a moment to feel all the overwhelming emotions I was feeling. However, it was time to take my boys home and celebrate all that we’ve accomplished together.

“Welcome to Summer!”

Ready or not here we come!

First up, was lunch at a new hamburger joint with Billy and Lisa.

It was Lisa’s birthday so we had a lot to celebrate. Since Jason was out of town, it was so nice to have them there which made it feel like more of a special occasion.

Next up, Davis’ graduation party…

8 thoughts on “Last Day of School

  1. wipe the tears off the keyboard. such a sweet and loving post! i am touched by the energy, love, and care that you so freely give to your family. what a lucky boy davis is to have such a wonderful mom who will teach and allow him to grow and broaden his capabilities and horizons!! such great accomplishments and successes for much hard work! you rock girl!
    di

  2. Congrats are deserved for everyone in your home! What a year(s)!!!!

    This was a really sweet post that will mean much to Davis some day.

    I loved the shirts too? Did you use a special iron on transfer? Most of the time you can see the transfer on the parts that are supposed to be blank. Am I making sense? I'm making shirts for a party in a few weeks. I'd love to know if you have any helpful hints.

  3. I should have included the link to the website. Shoot! I threw that package away already. I'll see if I can find it. But basically it's a "For Dark Shirts – Ink Jet Printer – Iron On" that I got from Hobby Lobby. It was like $8 for 5 sheets. They have a website that you can use to design your iron on. They were so easy to make!!

  4. Amen, sister! My Riley is only 5 and I haven't done this as long as you but it helps to know that there are kids out there like Riley that are doing great!

    Cute shirts, too! 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *