Susan GrahamMy Birthday Present: A Screaming 6-Year-Old
November 19th 2008 22:13
Today is my birthday. Hurray for me. I am 37 years old today, and I feel every bit of it. I had good intentions going into it. I took the day off work and everything so I could enjoy my special day. But things started to go downhill fast when Princess came in and told me she felt whistling in her chest.
Princess has asthma, although she isn’t currently on any medication for it. She has only had a couple of times in her life that we have had to give her Flovent, Albuterol, and even liquid steroids to help her breathing. It’s usually triggered by a cold or other illness, and her symptoms usually go away as soon as the virus is gone.
That doesn’t mean we don’t panic every time she coughs. I am always on the alert with her breathing, and we still carry her Albuterol inhaler wherever we go, just in case. So this morning before school she told me she had whistling in her chest. Sure enough, I put my ear to her chest and heard the tell-tale wheezing sound. So I finished getting her ready and took her to the doctor to see if we needed to put her back on Flovent.
By the time we got there, the wheezing had stopped. The doc said it was probably just phlegm, but if we heard it again we should put her on the Flovent. Relieved, I drove her to school. She was about an hour late.
Princess was her normal, sweet, perky self until we got into the main office. It was then that she threw a royal fit and refused to go to her classroom. I’m still not sure what set her off – she just panicked and started crying. The lady in the office tried to pick her up and take her to class, and Princess just fell on the floor screaming.
The lady then rudely threw her hands in the air and said, “I can’t deal with this,” and walked away. I could have smacked her! The principal then came out and took us into her office. She tried to get Princess to calm down and explain what was wrong, but she wouldn’t talk. She just kept crying.
I told the principal that Princess gets upset with any change in routine. I remember we had to show up to her ballet class 15 minutes early every Saturday because if she didn’t get her ballet shoes on before the teacher closed the door and started class she refused to go in. It’s just one of her many, many quirks.
So the principal took one of her arms, I took the other, and we literally dragged my daughter to class, kicking and screaming. It was horrible! I felt like the worst mother on the planet. I knew I had scarred her for life. I almost gave in and took her home a few times, but something told me she had to get to class. If I sheltered her and let her go home, she would become even more antisocial. So I dragged her along, trying to encourage her as much as I could.
Once Princess was in class, I lost it. I started crying right there with the principal. I couldn’t help it – like mother, like daughter. I went home and just cried and cried. I was hoping and praying that I had done the right thing, that Princess was in class at that moment smiling and doing her schoolwork. My Mommy Instincts had told me that no matter how much she protested, she was better off in school. She needed to be forced to go.
Later in the day, I emailed her teacher, and she told me that as soon as Princess was inside the classroom she was fine. My Mommy Instincts had been right once again! It was the best thing for her to go to school.
I’m sure today is only a drop in the vast ocean of horrible experiences we’re going to have with our special girl. Princess is a very unique little girl, with very unique challenges. She can read at a third grade level (she’s in first grade) and she can compose her own piano music, but when it comes to everyday tasks like getting dressed and pooping she just can’t handle it. Luckily, we appreciate her unique qualities and love her unconditionally. I just hate to watch her suffer through life.
Hopefully, the rest of my birthday will be uphill from here. Princess is now home from school and says she doesn’t know why she was so afraid to go to class, but she’s glad she did. Score one for Mommy Instincts!
Princess has asthma, although she isn’t currently on any medication for it. She has only had a couple of times in her life that we have had to give her Flovent, Albuterol, and even liquid steroids to help her breathing. It’s usually triggered by a cold or other illness, and her symptoms usually go away as soon as the virus is gone.
That doesn’t mean we don’t panic every time she coughs. I am always on the alert with her breathing, and we still carry her Albuterol inhaler wherever we go, just in case. So this morning before school she told me she had whistling in her chest. Sure enough, I put my ear to her chest and heard the tell-tale wheezing sound. So I finished getting her ready and took her to the doctor to see if we needed to put her back on Flovent.
By the time we got there, the wheezing had stopped. The doc said it was probably just phlegm, but if we heard it again we should put her on the Flovent. Relieved, I drove her to school. She was about an hour late.
Princess was her normal, sweet, perky self until we got into the main office. It was then that she threw a royal fit and refused to go to her classroom. I’m still not sure what set her off – she just panicked and started crying. The lady in the office tried to pick her up and take her to class, and Princess just fell on the floor screaming.
The lady then rudely threw her hands in the air and said, “I can’t deal with this,” and walked away. I could have smacked her! The principal then came out and took us into her office. She tried to get Princess to calm down and explain what was wrong, but she wouldn’t talk. She just kept crying.
I told the principal that Princess gets upset with any change in routine. I remember we had to show up to her ballet class 15 minutes early every Saturday because if she didn’t get her ballet shoes on before the teacher closed the door and started class she refused to go in. It’s just one of her many, many quirks.
So the principal took one of her arms, I took the other, and we literally dragged my daughter to class, kicking and screaming. It was horrible! I felt like the worst mother on the planet. I knew I had scarred her for life. I almost gave in and took her home a few times, but something told me she had to get to class. If I sheltered her and let her go home, she would become even more antisocial. So I dragged her along, trying to encourage her as much as I could.
Once Princess was in class, I lost it. I started crying right there with the principal. I couldn’t help it – like mother, like daughter. I went home and just cried and cried. I was hoping and praying that I had done the right thing, that Princess was in class at that moment smiling and doing her schoolwork. My Mommy Instincts had told me that no matter how much she protested, she was better off in school. She needed to be forced to go.
Later in the day, I emailed her teacher, and she told me that as soon as Princess was inside the classroom she was fine. My Mommy Instincts had been right once again! It was the best thing for her to go to school.
I’m sure today is only a drop in the vast ocean of horrible experiences we’re going to have with our special girl. Princess is a very unique little girl, with very unique challenges. She can read at a third grade level (she’s in first grade) and she can compose her own piano music, but when it comes to everyday tasks like getting dressed and pooping she just can’t handle it. Luckily, we appreciate her unique qualities and love her unconditionally. I just hate to watch her suffer through life.
Hopefully, the rest of my birthday will be uphill from here. Princess is now home from school and says she doesn’t know why she was so afraid to go to class, but she’s glad she did. Score one for Mommy Instincts!
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