Don't Handicapp your children...

Most parents wait 18 years for this moment! The moment when your kid goes off to college, its an exciting time...and i'm certainly not excempt from that excitment. Yesterday we took Braden down to Sheriden College in Oakville for an orientation with Special Services. They offer some pretty amazing services for Braden and his needs. Our orientation date came up very quickly, there wasn't alot of time to prepare, as Braden applied for a program there last minute..on a whim.  Ya just one evening, he decides to apply, comes out to tell us and then Paul and I go into action. I don't think Braden realized at that time how much information was going to be needed for the college before we could attend the information session. We had to get so much documentation regarding his medical, physical and educational needs.
Thankfully this mom keeps everything and had many up to date assessments and IEP's that we could take to this orientation. We even had a Neuro-psychoeducational assessment done in 2009, which at the time i had completed because once again we were fighting with the school board. Again, that's another story, lets just sum it up by saying I paid a shit load of money to have this assessment done so that the school's "special ed" classroom could understand (because they are fucked*) that we are NOT concerned with Braden's independance in the classroom. Our concerns were his ability to retrieve the classroom content effeiciently and effectively so that he is understanding it and keeping up...so STOP making him scribe by himself and don't be so god damn lazy and scribe for him!! OMG...see how upset i get just thinking about it! For this reason, Braden left highschool to finish on line...they just caused to much stress..wasn't worth it!
Ok, back to the assessment....yes, it was VERY thorough, VERY time consuming but VERY worth it. It worked out perfectly because unlike many of the families there yesterday...we had our assessment finished which means they can continue ASAP with getting his needs met, and we won't have to wait for anything. PERFECT!!
God works in mysterious ways...because at the time this assessment was being completed I was so frustrated and pissed off at the sum of money we were having to spend on something that wasn't necessary.
 I did have a couple days of panic, fear, excitment and anxiety but it all went away and reality sunk in. Who doesn't want their children to be successful and happy?! We were not planning on Braden to go to college this September..we had originally agreed that he'd take another year and upgrade any marks he may have needed to get higher in and he'd also do more therapy and get a bit stronger before heading off to such a huge committment. But, I guess Braden decided he wanted to get moving and start his future in movie making! We still have many unanswered questions, i'm sure once we get more information i'll have a better understanding on how he will get there, how long are his classes, will they provide someone to take care of him or will we?? See, so much to think about, but definately do-able. I'm not as nervous about things as most of you might think...you have to remember he will be 19 years old in the fall. By the time our children reach this age you are pretty much ready to let them go and live their own lives. I am certainly not excempted from that either, maybe it'd be different if the boy wasn't wanting to leave or was too insecure to go off to college. It helps knowing that HE is ready, HE is the one persuing this...really, what choice do I have? We all want our children to be successful, its why we work so hard when they are young providing them with experiences, educating them, encouraging them and hopefully we are passing on the tool's they need to find their own way in this world. I guess for Paul and I seeing Braden off to college is a way of telling us...great job mom and dad! All those weekends spent together, family time, museums, camping, vacations, sleepovers, parties, movie nights, volunteer hours and endless get togethers with friends and family has given him the ability to grow up, to move on. We spent ALOT of time with our children, especially with Braden always being sure that he experienced the exact same things that other children were expriencing...and its paid off...we see the light, its so close! I must admit, Paul and I walk our dogs every night, its our time to talk and catch up or discuss concerns we have. It's nice, we often speak about how fast our lives with young children has flown by. We feel almost like we are dating again, we have so much time together..and we love it! We've done our job, its not over...don't get me wrong! We still have many many years invested in raising these two punks, *wink* BUT, its getting easier...the choices are not ours anymore, its up to them! Phew..

Oh boy..the thought of grandchildren terrifies me...like I said, it goes so quick...soon enough i'll be blogging about that!!! *Eyes closed, head between hands*