Friday 27 June 2014

Coming up for Air

This week has been a week of some pretty impressive successes in our family. It's been a tough year and many times I've felt utterly overwhelmed, nervous I might drop the ball, forget a plate as they all spin wildly out of control, or unlike Mrs Skittle, not be able to ping back from yet another setback.

Yet this was one of those weeks where you can take a small step back and think  "Yes. It was all worthwhile" and admire the fruits of your (and their) labours.



Having finished his GCSEs J embarked on a week's Work Experience. We were rather dubious about how worthwhile this week would be, and pored over bus timetables for several hours in an attempt to find a journey option which didn't require considerable parental involvement with the usual quota of screaming siblings in the back. We joked that there should be a YouTube video on catching a bus, such was the complexity of locating the appropriate route and timetable, then navigating our way around the recent changes in our town which are not yet published. Much to our amusement, there were many such videos, none sadly for Ipswich!


An extremely useful video actually - I'm not knocking it!

Living in the town where he can cycle or walk pretty much anywhere J has never needed greater independence. He's happy to get the train further afield, we invariably drop him there or he jumps in a taxi. But he's never yet got the bus. Neither have we to be fair, and consequently we've underestimated the independence this form of transport might offer. The benefits of this exercise in initiative have given him the most tremendous confidence boost, all of a sudden his local world has opened up and I am as excited by this as he is.



But that wasn't all he's gained from this week. Participating with graduates several years older - even having some of his code used by the company has really inspired him. He's impressed  the team he was allocated to and become really involved there in a such a short space of time. I'm so proud of him for never letting an opportunity pass him by, giving of his best and offering to go the extra mile. It's not easy going to work in a positive frame of mind when you've been jumped on (literally) by your twelve year old brother whose ADHD meds have yet to kick in!

And his younger brother would appear to have gained by osmosis at least a few pointers on exam technique and hard work from J. With probably far less work than was appropriate he's Ace-d his end of year Science exam and seems positive about the others. Given that only eighteen months ago he preferred to put a line through questions he couldn't be bothered to answer ("they KNOW I know the answer!") this is real progress. But far, FAR more important is the huge improvement in his social life. I'm loving the irony that right now, my twelve year old with ASD, ADHD and mobility issues has a better social life than the rest of us put together! Brilliant.

Parenting my four challenging, (well, three of them!) opinionated, (yes, four of them) wonderful, funny and totally brilliant kids has been a real challenge this year. Just when I thought sleep deprivation might at LAST be a thing of the past everyone upped the anti and turned up the proverbial volume. But from here, looking back, it's been a phenomenal school year. And seeing H handing out with his friends has exceeded all expectations. We take the simple things for granted all too often - don't.


Family Friday


Mum Of One

24 comments:

  1. Sounds like you have some brilliant kids on your hands there and well done to your son for doing so well during his work experience what a confidence booster! When I had to go back to getting buses after I got rid of my car I found it so confusing and stressful so I hope your bus service is much better than mine is!

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  2. It gives you such a lift doesn't it when everything just seems to fall in to place. I wish my weeks were always like that ;)

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  3. Glad your week was okay in the end, well done to your son on he's work experience and doing well.

    Sophie
    xx
    www.pocockins.co.uk

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  4. That's so fantastic, to see your children grown up and spread their wings as you assist them to take on the world! Good ol' YouTube, it really has everything, doesn't it?! ;) made me smile! You have wonderful chldren Kate, and I'm sure there's never a dull moment when you've got four :) x

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  5. Ah it's great to document the good things that have happened. I have four children including an older boy who will be finishing GCSE's next summer so not far behind your boy. It's a very stressful time seeing that they are on the right track, however good they are it's so easy to slip down the wrong one at this age. I have found this age the most challenging yet! It's so good to read about your boy doing well x

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  6. I remember my GCSE's and they weren't fun, I'm not looking forward to Roo and Tigger getting old enough to take them.

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  7. It sounds, like you have a family to be exceptionally proud of :-) xx

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  8. Wise words, not to take the simple things for granted. Sounds like you've got your hands full in the best possible way and well done to your son for doing work experience straight after GCSEs when I'm sure most people were kicking back into holiday mode.

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  9. Aww what a wonderful positive post and it sounds like they are doing do well! xx #familyfriday

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  10. Aw how beautifully positive! Sounds like you've got a great family! :)x

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  11. So nice to see your kids growing up but have to say goes too fast .x

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  12. It sounds like you have an extremely busy but totally rewarding family life :)

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  13. Sounds like you have some very bright kids! Well done on your son doing well at his work experience x

    JustJulie | Beauty Blog

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  14. Sounds like things are going well for you all. Long may that continue!

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  15. Totally impressed on the work experience front. Wish I could find something like that for my teen

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  16. Wonderful! It sounds like he is doing so well - well done on the Science exam. I think work experience is really daunting for a young person, good for him for getting the bus - that looked hard enough in itself! Thank you for linking to PoCoLo :) x

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  17. Sounds like it has been an busy week in your home, well done to your children on all they achieved :) x

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  18. It's always nice when you can take 5 minutes and reflect on a job well done, and it sounds like everyone has something to be proud of this week.

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  19. Sounds like it has been a busy time of it lately? Am so glad the work experience went well and I can totally sympathise about the complicated bus routes. After the recent storms I had this dilemma myself for a bit. Hope you can put your feet up and relax soon. thanks so much for sharing with the #pinitparty. I have pinned :)

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  20. It is a big step teaching the kids indepenadnce - my son has an interview tomorrow and we have been researching bus timetables etc - hoping it makes him more determined to pass his driving test sooner

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  21. I completely sympathise with the bus routes - when my car broke down recently I had massive trouble just getting to work for 8am!

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  22. Sounds like your boys have had a great week. Work experience is such a valuable experience!

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  23. It does feel nice when things finally fall into place. Pity the feeling doesn't seem to last longer than a day! Still, you must be one proud mummy.

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  24. Well done to your children, sounds like they have had a fab week!

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Many thanks for taking the time to comment, I really value your responses.

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