A good week

Beth seems to have had an excellent week this week. She’s been happy going to school and appears to be settled. She tells me about kids that she plays with and has lunch with. Yesterday she told me that she played with a girl called Gypsy who I hadn’t heard of before. Beth’s teacher tells me that they have star charts in the classroom and Beth enjoys doing the right thing for her stars. If she keeps her voice quiet she gets a star so she’s been trying really hard at that. Even writing this makes me remember when Beth was in kindergarten. She had selective mutism and never spoke with anybody other than Paul and myself and even then only after a certain time. I remember after she started talking at school (within a week of starting medication) how excited we all were. When her prep teacher showed me a card they had for keeping quiet for Beth I had laughed and how wonderful that was. She’s never shut up since!

We had a barbeque at Beth’s school last night, a sort of ‘get to know you’ for the parents. I’ve made friends with a few of the other mums who do pickup so I hung around them most of the time. The staff did all the cooking and preparation and Beth excitedly showed Paul, Bill and Bridie around the school, pointing out things like the toilets and drinking taps. She was very cute with Bridie, holding her hand the whole time she was showing her around. Her teacher who I shall call Miss X told me that they have been playing lots of games in social skills time such as Celebrity Head and Pictionary. Beth loves to read so when they have choosing time that’s what she chooses. Her book of choice is apparently a dictionary! I’ll have to get her one for her birthday I think, Miss X says Beth loves it. She’s always asking me the meaning of words she hears on the tely and she files their meaning away in the memory bank. I usually tell her the truth but last night she asked me what the word erection meant so I did tell her I didn’t know that one!

I was so happy when we got to school this morning. A girl came running up to Beth waving and saying hi. It turns out it was the girl Beth had told me about – Gypsy. She walked with us to the courtyard where they have to line up, telling me that she was Beth’s friend and that they now sit next to each other in class. She seemed like such a nice girl. I spent the day with my friends and couldn’t wait to tell them about her. Already I’m feeling so good about Beth’s new school, she’s making friends and getting independance. I just have to get used to the driving!