Tomorrow is the last day of Phoebe’s Junior year.  In the fall, she will be a Senior.   She will not graduate with a degree, but she will get a certificate and move on to post-secondary school.  I’d like to say it feels like moments ago when I dropped her off at Kindergarten, but that would be a lie.  Every year has been a challenge of different sorts.  I was/am the eternal HELICOPTER mom.  I have had to be.  Her younger years were about her learning disabilities, social ineptitudes, her ADHD, and her general delays.  Her middle years were more about her emotional impairments, puberty, getting her behaviors under control, and the loss of friendships.   There were dozens of IEPS, behavioral meetings, doctors appointments, and yes… tears.  She was at a stand-still educationally.  Getting her emotions under control was our main focus the last few years.  Until we moved to Carrollton High School, that seemed like an impossible task.  Phoebe has had two of the best years ever.  She loves her teachers, and her teachers understand her, and her many disabilities.  We have an understanding that I want Phoebe to be able to function in the real world.  I don’t care about Math, or Social studies.   We, as a team, are constantly working on appropriateness, and independence.  I have had very little interaction these past 2 years, and that is what seems strange.  With the right program and people, things happen.

Don’t get me wrong, I will be sad when her high school career comes to an end.  I hate to see change for her, and wish she could stay there forever.  In the coming year, we will work on doing all the typical “Senior” year things…getting photos, going to dances, and having a big party.  (maybe not- depends on her mood)  We will embrace that she has come a long way from her mispronounced words in Pre-school (because of her numerous speech issues), to now when she uses terms I’m not so sure I know what they mean.  She will begin a new journey of becoming a working, functioning adult. (Gulp)

Maybe it’s time I become one of those. 🙂

Good luck to my Senior girl. (photo of first day of kindergarten)

 summer before senior year