A year ago our youngest had just finished year 6, and our 17 year stint as parents as the same primary school was over – emotional times. Ahead was the roller-coaster summer between years 6 & 7 where our youngest would fluctuate between excitement and terror. Added into this mix was an autism assessment, and the associated stress with the test itself, but also with the results.  Our eldest was getting ready for university, a world he didn’t think he would ever be allowed to enter because of his poor academic record and lack of A-levels or any other level 3 qualification.  Added to all this was my application to get back into teaching after a 15 month hiatus.

One year on, and our youngest has almost finished year 7. In 9 weeks when he goes back to school, he won’t be one of the babies any more. He will be in year 8. He will also go back with another diagnosis of visual stress, or Irlen Syndrome (because dyslexia, clinical anxieties and ASD traits aren’t enough), and his colour will be dark green. The year has been incredibly tough for him, and although things are getting better, he had a big anxiety attack on Sunday night, we slept on the sofa as he didn’t want to be alone, and after an upset tum at 5am, we decided that he needed to have Monday at home. He has started counselling with CAMHS for his anxieties, and sessions with a CBT therapist start at the end of July. All good in so many ways, but it’s all still there, and we still have to help him deal with it. Another blog post will follow very soon about the attitude of some of the other children to mental health issues, but to summise, some of his peers have been understanding; others definitely have not.

One year on, and our eldest has swapped courses, completed his first year, but will probably be looking to change course again for September, but still at the same university. What his year in HE has shown me, is that the symptoms of ADHD & dyslexia never, ever go away. To be completely honest, I was expecting more support and understanding from an established university. Yes, he made mistakes with emails, communication chains etc, but he was honest and open about his learning barriers from the start, and I feel he needed more help, and he needed to be asked if he needed help.

And then there’s me. One year on I have really enjoyed being back in the classroom. It has been very challenging at times, and although I am very part time (only 8 teaching hours a week) it has been hard to balance supporting students and supporting our boys (and each other). But I’ve done it – good attendance, retention and pass rates, and hopefully new, exciting courses are on the horizon.

So, we’ve almost done it. We are almost there. We have survived teaching, university and year 7. We are also making plans for a greener, more eco-lifestyle which will mean than eco-therapy will be on our doorstep, and there will be more info on this in future blogs, and also how eco-therapy can help our skware pegs find their own holes.

The other thing that this year has taught me is that as a parent (and sometimes as a teacher) you need to trust your gut instinct. If you believe something isn’t right, pursue it. If you find something that works for you and your skware peg, embrace it. But most of all, this is your life, these are your skware pegs. There are no other skware pegs anywhere in the world like them, so do what’s best for them.