When it comes to dealing with tough parenting times, I like these folks:
www.handinhandparenting.org/ The Audio program in particular has been a mainstay.
who are an offshoot of
http://www.rc.orgalso wonderful, and more likely to be local to you. These people definitly account for my current sanity.
I don't think that you looked foolish during the teacher/kid/you scene. What's great is that after all the fireworks at home, DS was able to talk about the lunch time.
This isn't to say that his basic problems ISN'T poor academic fit at school. After expending all his coping pennies 'being good' during the classroom experience, any bit of pretext (rough big boys) was a chance for him to 'get mad/let the feeling bubble up.' It could just as easily have been you giving him a broken cookie that set him off, but the fuel for this fire builds up all day long. How do I know? I'm going on the assumption that that's what would happen to 90% of humans in his situation. It would happen to me!
(you knew that - right?) Don't try to get the teachers to agree with that one though.
Is it too late to get him into the gifted school? What if you call them and set up a meeting where you cried? (to try to get them to take DS4) The big question is 'What kind of behavior would you have to see before you decided to take major action?'
My goal is that things should have to get as bad for your DS as I let them get for my DS - and that the remidy for you won't be as expensive as the remidy was for me (
PM me to see how much I spent on two years of private school!) I may have crossed the line of bossiness here, but I would need Professional Help if it seemed like a good idea to sit quietly while you walk down a road that seems so familiar to the one we walked down. Leave Now while his behavior is good. You DON't want to do as I did and wait for 'I'm OK,You're NOT OK' behavior! Of course every situation is different and personality plays so much of a role, but....
No matter if you agree with me or not - keep posting - we want to support you and your family. And we want to know how it turns out. We care!
Love and More Love,
Grinity
