The past couple of weeks I have been dealing with something I thought I would never, ever have to deal with; my 16 year old being in trouble at school. She has never been in trouble at school. Not even detention!
I cannot get into the details, but suffice it to say, she is in "deep shit". Yes, I said a bad word...as this is the only word that seems to express what is currently happening.
While my children are not perfect by any means, I do think the school system overreacted and now we are dealing with the consequences.
This child has had problems since she was little. Not very expressive, likes to keep to herself, not very talkative (which I think is fine). These by themselves aren't real "issues", but you put them with slow language learning, speech problems and attention issues; she gets very close to someone with a mild form of Autism.
I am not saying she has Autism, but some of her mannerisms and things she does reminds me of children and adults with mild Autism.
One thing she has 'always' done: When you punish her, she just looked/looks at you with an evil stare. When I used (I don't use it anymore) corporal punishment, it didn't work, she wouldn't even cry. She does show emotion, but rarely and she is very attached to me; sometimes obsessively so.
Now, she has been in Special Education since 4th grade and even the Special Ed teachers noticed her "overactive imagination". It is noted in her file.
So why is she in trouble for this supposed issue they already knew existed? Well, because once the administration gets involved, it doesn't seem to matter what teachers and other experts say; they want to burn the poor child at the stake.
Why is an "overactive imagination" a problem now-a-days? When did children stop being children; especially when one that is already a little different?
She is a sweet girl, very loving; but she is more like a pre-teen in a 16 year old's body. While she is very intelligent when it comes to computers; she does lack the social and emotional skills most of us have. As her mom, I pray this doesn't scar her more than the bullies and administration at her school have already done!
My daughter's imagination is a GIFT and I wish all the nasayers would all go to H-E-L-L!
Check out this article that I absolutely love about having an "overactive imagination", written my James at Men with Pens.
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