Is the Honeymoon Over?

Jamie refused to get on the bus today. He said he didn't want to go to school. He refused to put his feet down. The driver said we couldn't force him to get on. We drove him to school. He still didn't want to go, but didn't put up too much of a fight. When we got to his room we had to pull him in. At first he refused to leave our sides, but soon was distracted and went off to play. We talked to his teacher in the hallway. She said he's doing well. She's using a weighted vest on him during group to help him during group. He hasn't been napping, but she's giving him letters and numbers to play with during nap time and he stays on his mat and doesn't disturb the other children. She says this is perfectly acceptable. Many children at his age don't nap. It's just important that they rest. I agree.

She said she's not surprised he's acting this way. As she puts it, the honeymoon stage is over. Now he realizes that he must go every day and the novelty has worn off. I must admit that I am surprised. I must also admit that I'm glad we put him in preschool and that we are dealing with this now and not next year in kindergarten. I really don't think anything bad is happening at school. Still, the mother in me says to keep my eyes and ears open for any signs of trouble.

She said that she's also not surprised that he's having issues on the bus. The bus has a lot of stimulus and he gets overstimulated. It's a lot to handle for him. She says that what does surprise her is how well he does in the class room. There's a lot of commotion, some kids who have melt downs, etc. So far Jamie has not really reacted to this. She expected him to be overstimulated in the classroom.

Jamie will be having an assessment next week, I believe she said. After that they will call Matthew and I in for a conference to discuss Jamie. I wanted to ask if she thought Jamie was on the Autism Spectrum, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. It's not because I'm afraid that he is. I'm fine with that. He's Jamie, with all his quirks and unique ways of thinking and doing things. I love him and if they want to put a "label" on what Jamie is that helps others understand his quirks and his way of learning and interacting in this world, then that is fine by me. Even my husband, who had a difficult time in the beginning with that idea, agrees with me on this. I am anxiously awaiting what they will say. I'm just ready for someone to say what they think is going on with Jamie.