There have been some other changes around here as well. I bagged the TSS idea, at least for now (and let me tell you, my daughter DID NOT take this news well. Big ol' angry, emotional outburst... hence there still being issues and work to be done). It was a complete waste of time. For us, anyway. Let me start by saying that the BHRS agency we chose has been WONDERFUL to us. The county director of this particular agency is FABULOUS, and to say that she has gone above and beyond what she has needed to do for us would be an enormous understatement. Our BSC is also really great, and I feel that her work with us has been the most beneficial. The TSS we were assigned was a really nice girl, and I do feel she was knowledgeable, and this is really nothing against her. It was just becoming TOO MUCH. I received some advice from a very dear friend as this was all starting for us, and she told me the following: "DO NOT feel the pressure/guilt to put your child in more therapies or over-frequent therapies than you can handle. It's not good for anyone, and a lot of times, unnecessary. I know you have the "mom" guilt to do ANYTHING you can to help the kids, and I can completely relate to that--you always are going to feel like you should be doing more. BUT, that is not good for you, and if you are so stressed and pulled in too many directions, then you can't do anything well, including things for yourself to make you a happy mom, happy wife, happy person, etc... I think this is true with ANY mom, but I think its more pronounced and important in moms with kids that need a little more." I reread this today and I feel even better about this decision. Our schedule was becoming CRAZY, and I seriously couldn't imagine how it was going to be once school started. Here was our SUMMER schedule:
Mondays- Speech therapy for our son- 1 hour
Tuesdays- Little Gym Camp for our daughter- 3 hours; TSS- 2.5 hours
Wednesdays- School for both- 5 hours
Thursdays- Our one open day, though very rarely open :)
Fridays- Occupational Therapy for our daughter- 30 min; TSS- 2.5 hours, Outpatient counseling- 1 hour
Add into that BSC meetings every other week, several different appointments, evaluations, etc... and things were getting a little crazy. With school coming up, this is how things would be looking:
Mondays- School for both- 2.5 hours, Speech therapy for our son- 1 hour, TSS- 3 hours
Tuesdays- School for our daughter- 2.5 hours; Gymnastics for our daughter (which she LOVES and I will not take away)- 1 hour, TSS- 2.5 hours
Wednesdays- School for both- 5.5 hours
Thursdays- School for our daughter- 2.5 hours, TSS- 2.5 hours
Fridays- OT- 30 min; Outpatient counseling- 1 hour
Oh yeah, and add in the very necessary exercises prescribed by her chiropractor to address her sensory needs, as well as the sensory diet and therapeutic listening prescribed by her OT, both of which I feel are extremely important.
Seriously... when was my kid supposed to have time to JUST BE A KID? I had to take something out, and honestly, TSS was just doing nothing for us. If you don't know what TSS is, it stands for Therapeutic Staff Support, which is someone with a bachelor's degree in a human service field. They typically are right out of college, in their early 20s, have no children of their own or any kind of experience, and this is often their first job. They are paid very little, and really don't have much training. I say this from experience, because believe it or not, I actually did TSS work at one time. The job sucks. And there is very high turnover because of it. There are some really great ones out there, but they are few and far between. We really liked the one we were assigned, but it just wasn't working out. She tried, but it was becoming very stressful for me, as our daughter wasn't responding very well, and things were actually worse when she was here. Umm... yeah, that is the last thing I need. Now, if she ends up needing one in school... which I hope and pray she doesn't... but if she does, then that's another story. Honestly, that was the only time as a TSS that I actually felt that I was providing a valuable service. So... that's that... for now.
Lots more to say that will have to wait for another post(s), plus even I'm losing interest at the moment. :) Thoughts on vaccines, biomed, the upcoming school year, GFCF diet, trying to balance being a mother, wife, and woman... lots of thoughts spinning through my head. For now I will say this... there are so many lessons I have been taught over the last several years, one of the biggest I feel is to never pass judgment. We've all done it, and I have learned time and again to be careful what you think, be careful what you say, because you just never know until you are walking in that person's shoes. I am no better because I am trying biomed. I am no better because I am trying a special diet. I am no better than the mother who chose conventional medicine for her child, because as I've said before, if medication had worked for my daughter, I can guarantee you she would be on it, and on it for a long time. Really, we mothers are all in this together, and we need to remember that. I don't want to be judged by those who believe biomed to be a crock- i.e. alot of medical doctors and people in the conventional medical field, and I would never judge them if they were to choose to not pursue "alternative" therapies for their child. We need to support one another, not judge one another. I saw this the other day, and it spoke volumes to me...
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