Hitting the Wall in 7th Grade - Advice?

Post Reply New Topic

I guess what I was trying to say is that there is value in a good system from what I can tell of what we've experienced so far. I'm not sure in the other case. I guess you kind of have to take it day by day. I'd love to get those two to four years of my life back, too.

I would add this one caution: I don't know if you read the New Yorker interview with Peter Lanza that came out today. One thing I did get from it: it was a unique situation in more ways than one. The one thing that I wish we could go back and change was the isolation of mother and son together. I wonder if it was a red flag that both of them were struggling with serious mental health issues (meaning some type of psychosis) at the same time, and that the breakdown was exacerbated by isolation.

I think it's a good option to remove your child from a stressful school situation if you can, but I think there is a point of diminishing returns when it comes to isolation, especially if that's a struggle for the parent. School does at the very least provide a structure for socializing. I think most parents who choose the homeschooling option do so with some kind of social plan in mind for both themselves and their kids, and I think that is critical.

For the record, this is all conjecture and opinion. I really do think the most important thing is being responsive to your child in the context of both who they are now and who they will be in the future, however that plays out. I also recognize that things can change in a moment, so just because we feel we've found the answer right now may not mean it's the answer in a week, or a month, or a year.

It's been a couple of days since I checked here and just wanted to say thank you to all the new posters for sharing your thoughts and experiences. I will definitely look for the Aspergirls book and will read the linked article.

The idea of outside of school activities is a good one and she is lucky to have a few close friends outside of school, which is really nice for her. She attends a private school - the public schools in our area are not on option.

I keep focusing on the hope that things will improve with time. All the drama has really made her reflect on what is important in a friend, how to be a good friend, when to trust, or not trust people, etc. As difficult as it is for me to see her struggle, she is learning and understanding the social context of school. In some ways the middle school trial by fire is making her tougher and stronger. I do and will keep emphasizing that these are hard years for everyone. I want her to have compassion and love for herself and others.

Again, thank you all! I so appreciate the supportive environment here!

Just wanted to hop back on here to thank momsparky for suggesting the Paul Graham article. I found it to be excellent and intend to have my daughter read it too. I'm sure it will lead to lots of good discussion!

My pleasure; I forget where I found that (probably here) but it has really helped us...I cut a few paragraphs out when I gave it to DS (felt there was no need to equate school with prison for him, but I did tell him I'd made some edits.)

I'm trying to figure out how to politely ask our middle school administrators to read it