Susan Senator

Excellent team meeting today. How often do you hear that? But I felt very proud of the team; we all had our roles to play, and yet we came to an agreement that, give or take a phone call or two, should probably work out to Nat’s benefit. The compromise I have made is that I am now being trained to run ABA-like programs in our home. I am, therefore, dedicating several times during the day when I have to stop what I’m doing and follow a certain protocol to get Nat to respond a certain way, and then take data on the results. This is very non-Susan. But it is the only way to parent Nat, to begin to teach him independent thinking and actions, so that is what I’m going to do.

I’m also going to train Max and Ben to do the same. No one is to get Nat anything without his initiating it, and the way we get him to do that is to stand near him when he starts pacing in the kitchen (that is his signal to us that he wants something). We stand near him and don’t look at him, and he is to go up to us and tap us on the arm and request whatever it is he wants. He is really improving at it, too. For Nat, the issue is to understand what we need from him. He does not intuitively know these things, but once he is taught, he is willing to do it. He is, after all, a Sweet Guy and he is Miniman who does what he can.

But I may be getting some assistance from my school system for additional home training, so that is the piece I am cheering about. That is the part we worked hard at getting. We shall see. But it felt very positive today at the meeting, with everyone on the same page, as they say.

What doesn’t feel good is: I have a black eye!!!! I bashed on the doorknob of my bedroom. What a ridiculous cliché! but it is true! I was bent over, putting on exercise clothes in the dark, and my closet door was ajar. As I straightened up, I smacked right into the hard metal doorknob. I could not believe the pain. I sat with Boo-boo bunny for almost an hour, but I still have a lot of swelling and black and blue, as if I went nuts with the eye shadow.

How do you explain to people that you really did walk into a door? It is only those who know Ned who would believe me!

More news: I’m taking a new workshop with a dancer named Sabrina who is supposed to be wonderful. The workshop is “Improvisational Strategies.” We will learn how to dance to any piece of music. The place is a bit far for me, down in Quincy, but today after our team meeting, Ned showed me how to get there. Sometimes if there is something new I’m to try and also in a difficult town, I get cold feet. I don’t want to start not going to things out of strange fears — been there, done that — so I’m making myself go, full anxiety ahead. Also, what will they all think of me with this eye? I’ll have to pile on the eye make up so no one can tell, but if the workshop is as good as it sounds, I’ll sweat it all off!

I have a black eye!  Here’s what happened… … See my Tabblo>