How do you find Other Parents at school?

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YippySkippy
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03 Jun 2011, 7:34 am

I disagree with Nostromo.
If they were "apprehensive about approaching you", then one of them wouldn't come over, look you up and down, and walk away. That was their Queen B, reasserting her status and letting you know yours.
I have noticed that women who grow up together and live in the same town their whole lives never really grow up emotionally. They tend to act like a high school clique well into middle age. Perhaps that is the case with these ladies.



DW_a_mom
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03 Jun 2011, 12:03 pm

cyberdad wrote:
missykrissy wrote:
if i was in that situation i would either buy or print out some small cards with a brief discription of autism on them to the ladies with a comment on the bottom saying that their support is welcome but their advice is not unless they are also raising a child on the spectrum.


I had a talk today with the integration aide and apparently a cohort from this group of moms have confronted her privately about a couple of weeks ago - asking why she spend's so much time with my daughter. She told them my daughter has autism and she was employed as an aide. Apparently they nodded but did not respond.

This now puts the glowering into a new context, they obviously took steps to find out about my daughter but choose to just stare at me rather than say hello. You are right I have no wish to be their friends. This unfortunately makes the idea of writing little cards for their benefit a waste of time.

The vibe I am getting is like a Jewish rabbi walking through a Nazi neighborhood. The looks I get when walking with my little 5 year old are best described as cold and judgmental. I really don't want to discover what's in their minds. I've resolved to work with the teachers and think the school is really great,, I don't think I will waste time with these parents.


The way you described the women in the previous post there is a good possibility they are simply the "we think we are better than you" types. Fortunately for me, those types go to great lengths to avoid the schools I have my kids in, which are socially and economically diverse; a concept they can't wrap their heads around, because they think "different" kids naturally steal time and resources from their kids. Sad that they want to deprive their kids of that richness, especially when our school actually has a higher percentage of GATE qualified kids than any other, and our demographic does just as well on the standardized tests, but so be it. That is what they think; I went through far too many of these discussions with moms at the preschools to not accept that.

Not all women who hang with those types, and look the part, are actually like that, however. Some just don't know how to break from the herd but, when they do, they are lovely people and real assets to have in your social circle.

I don't think you have anything to lose by nudging them with a simple, "you seem to be very interested in my daughter and I, I wonder if there are any questions I can answer for you." Make them look at their own behavior and reconsider it. But, heck, that takes guts I probably wouldn't have myself ... but I'd be thinking it.

Instead, you need to find the local equivalent of my school. You'd love it and we'd love you.


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nostromo
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03 Jun 2011, 2:57 pm

YippySkippy wrote:
If they were "apprehensive about approaching you", then one of them wouldn't come over, look you up and down, and walk away. That was their Queen B, reasserting her status and letting you know yours.

Or that would be your interpretation of cyberdads interpretation and assignation of behaviour behind what he thought he saw. AKA chinese whispers of something that was never actually spoken in the first place.
Here's some food for thought, there's a group of people regularly accused of staring, or being rude, or antisocial..even of being weirdoes, perverts etc, all based on what is not actually known and is instead interpreted and assumed.
We have a saying at work, 'assumption is the mother of all f**kups'.



YippySkippy
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03 Jun 2011, 5:04 pm

I'm entitled to my opinion. :roll:



DW_a_mom
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04 Jun 2011, 12:37 am

YippySkippy wrote:
I'm entitled to my opinion. :roll:


Of course you are.

And nostromo has a point, too.

I favor one of those deft approaches that make people look foolish if their intentions are poor, and keep doors open if they are not. Tricky figuring out what the right way to do that is, however.


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cyberdad
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04 Jun 2011, 5:04 am

DW_a_mom wrote:
Instead, you need to find the local equivalent of my school. You'd love it and we'd love you.


Would love to. Melbourne has around three specialist autistic schools. But they are prioritized for children with low IQ due to demand outweighing places offered.

I inquired at two government schools with units setup for children with high functioning autism (HFA and Aspergers). Apparently the schools are not supposed to turn away parents with autistic children but they both pulled issues relating to zoning as a reason for being unable to enrol my daughter.

This school my wife and I decided on is an older established primary school with good general facilities. What persuaded us to send her there was the teaching staff were so enthusiastic about the prospect of taking on a special needs child. Secondly the children were really quite polite and very understanding for their age. So I am unlikely to move - at least for this year.



Last edited by cyberdad on 04 Jun 2011, 5:12 am, edited 1 time in total.

nostromo
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04 Jun 2011, 5:11 am

Oh well sounds a great place for your daughter and thats what really matters.