Dear parents,
It starts with a simple philosophy for the Burton family; "have courage and be kind to others".
I’ll tell everyone and anyone that Charlie’s AEIOU experience (2.5yrs in total) was instrumental in his smooth transition into Prep however, as parents, how do we go about ‘transitioning’ from a safe and familiar environment ourselves to also being the new parents at ‘big school’?
We were honest with Charlie that this was going to be a new experience, that it was for big kids and he could do this. For us as parents, I knew what would happen in the lead up; Dad would be casual and keep his feelings of worry to himself and on the other hand, I would over-stress that I had read all the prep preparation rules & to-do list TWICE and then again for good measure to ensure I didn’t miss anything that could potentially unhinge Charlie if I forgot (you know what I mean).
I could go on forever at the wonderful progression Charlie has made at school this year but I would really like to put a final word out to the Mums and Dads who may be feeling the nerves and anxiety; possibly emotions they first had at the diagnosis of their child’s ASD. Don’t overthink it; every child and parent entering prep is feeling the same (whether they admit it or not); it’s not just us feeling overprotective because of how far we have come. Focus on the fact you have made it this far and don’t sabotage your right to feel all the emotions that a parent should feel on the first day/week your child goes to school. Trust me, that final bell rings, children say goodbye to their parents and the tears that flow down your face on the way to the car are priceless.
Kate Burton, proud former AEIOU mum
[First featured in the AEIOU Foundation December Parent eNews 7 December 2016]
Secure Payments