Forgive me for not posting sooner, but I have to admit the last couple of months have been relatively incident free, aside from the usual mistakes and wrong doings of "normal" teenage behavior.
Recently, however, my son has been slipping back into his solitary world of video games, despite doing our best to monitor his activity. His behavior has also been slipping, but I put that down to school ending soon, and the usual angst that comes with it.
I was therefor surprised when I received a phone call from my son's class psychologist informing me of the up and coming student awards ceremony, along with the notification that we should attend as my son was receiving an award. I asked if this was a genuine award, or just a piece of paper claiming that he 'participated' and was graduating to grade 9, and was assured this was the genuine article.
After securing three tickets and coercing both my son and his step-dad to attend, (both of whom were not terribly inspired to sit through the ceremony,) we arrived and secured our seats to watch the event unfold. After the opening remarks and the introduction of the staff and graduating class, the awards ceremony got underway.
Even with the knowledge that my son was a recipient, it was still a surprise to discover that he was receiving a silver star engraved with his name and the year along with an inscription which read, "The most improved student in Grade 8". However, we still had a surprise waiting in the wings. After the presentation of the silver stars, the presenter announced that now they would be awarding the gold stars. When we heard that, we mentioned to my son that he should try to achieve that next year, and not thirty seconds later his was the first name called to receive it!
You could have knocked us over with a feather! My husband was so surprised and proud - I'll remember the look on his face for years. That topped off the whole night for me. It took nine long years full of disappointment, conflict and confrontation, but for the first time since my son began his schooling he was rewarded and recognized for his efforts. Congratulations my son - way to go! Keep up the good work.
Helping parents and adults living with ADHD, ODD, OCD and other disorders
That is an awesome story. Thanks so much for sharing. I know you and your husband were very proud. I understand all the frustrations, et al.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks! It isn't often that I can say I have felt proud of my son, however, I can see that he is trying, and that is a very good thing!
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