Parent-Teacher Meetings

Today was parent-teacher interview day. I was able to go in for my appointments this morning at 9am. Since report cards came out on Friday last week, and my ex had the kids last weekend, he kept the report cards, and failed to share them with me. Charming, isn't he?

Anyhow, I went in day before yesterday and got photocopies of the report cards. It turns out that my son is doing OK academically (all B's), but that he is still having difficulty focusing. This brings me back to the ADHD question, which I am hoping to have evaluated in the next few months. I asked the teacher for her opinion, and she said that he still doesn't strike her as an ADHD child, that he has some elements of it, such as the difficulty focusing and the emotional ups and downs, but that these could also be associated with the instability with his personal life. I'm hoping she is right. While I am supportive of doing the testing, I am hoping he does not come out as ADHD. If he does, I am ready to support him in any way I can.

Overall, I am happy that he was doing OK. He's not an A student by any stretch, but this is the first year that he is right at level (with the exception of his writing skills, which I can work on, but which are also typical for a little boy- boys are not usually the best writers at this age). Since his reading is doing really well (for the first time ever), we are hopeful that his writing skills will follow. I've got my fingers crossed.

My daughter's teacher says there are small improvements. She says the extra work I am doing at home (trust me, it's 2 hours a night!) is helping her along. But, the emotional stuff is still there. She is getting a little better, but she is still very sad and withdrawn, and often sits on her own. Her grades are well below average, so there is a lot of work to do to get her caught up. The teacher says it is NOT her lack of ability, that she would probably be one of the brightest students, if she could get past her emotional issues. I feel so very guilty.

I'm going to use the holiday season to continue giving the children academic support, but with my daughter, I want to try to give her some of the extra emotional support. I'm hoping some special outings and bonding time with her mother can help her. I'm thinking a few small lunch dates alone where she can discuss anything that is on her mind might be a good start. Let's see how it goes.