Categories: uncategorized
Date: 18 July 2008 17:12:08
The Week of Excessive Sociability is now at an end. This morning I went to the Learning Support Department coffee morning/drop in for parents, at son's school. There were fewer people I knew than I expected, but it was still a good networking opportunity, and in particular I re-met a forceful Jewish lady who is chair of the School Association, and who expressed an interest in incorporating the Inclusion Group into the School Association, as part of her planned Parents' Forum. I'm not quite sure how keeping the school on track in special needs, will mesh with what has up to now been mainly a fund-raising body, but the idea of being part of something bigger with ready-made organization is tempting, given that I have foolishly offered to try to keep the group going with support from the lovely friend I'm having lunch with next week. It does make the whole thing feel a bit more doable.
Then after a short break at home to pay my cleaner, I set off to meet my friend Rabia's 'mums' group' at a Thai restaurant. I'm the only one there whose child isn't in a special school and am not sure I really belong there, but it is a good opportunity to meet other parents, if only to realize how much worse off we could have been - many of them have kids with full blown autism or other severe learning difficulties. As usual it was a highly international gathering - last time I went I was the only European woman there, and this time the nearest thing to a genuine Brit (apart from me) was a Jewish woman from Edgware. Is it something about learning disabilities being more common in ethnic minorities, or is it just that these are the women who make a noise about their children's needs? Anyway I had a good Thai meal and a bit of a chat, though it was hard to hear and make oneself heard, and afterwards I wandered the shops of North Finchley and found a pair of the exact sandals I have been looking for, half price in the sale, only golden not pink (so I am still in search of the Ultimate Pink Sandals which I saw once in a dream...). I really don't need these sandals but they will go in 'the home shoe shop' (a top cupboard) to be brought out when the others have worn out. Anyway, I have shoes in the blood from my maternal grandparents who kept a shoe shop (well, not in the blood since they adopted my mother, but near enough).
Came home to find a sight of great heroism, namely The Grouch assisting Genius Brat in completing the Awful Looming Homework which should have been in a week ago and which was the subject of a stroppy letter from the Science teacher. It's amazing what they can both achieve when their backs are to the wall. Now there's just my four years' worth of filing to attack (yes, I've managed to postpone it yet again...)