The Life and Times of Old Bat and Her Family

Well, I really thought, perhaps naively, that we might have been on our way to Sunbeam being settled and a little happier.  But no.  His days at his new school seem to be over and we really can’t see him returning in the near future.  He says they have nothing to offer him, they don’t have anything that he enjoys there ie steam engineering or WW2 tanks!!  He has taken against his tutor who, up until recently, had a really good relationship with Sunbeam.  After a great deal of thought I believe that Sunbeam sees his tutor as an intrusion as he sees him at school therefore the tutor has become “one of them”!  Sunbeam gets very stressed at the thought of having to return to school and we can’t even get him into the taxi!  I now think that it’s not worth him returning.  He’s been out of mainstream school for nearly 3 years now and, as he will be 16 in October, I can’t  really see the point in him returning.  They haven’t been able to provide anything for him so far so I can’t see anything suddenly becoming available in the next 6 months.

We were hoping that he might be able to attend an engineering course at our local college.  It offers him everything he wants with a qualification at the end BUT we now find out that the course is reducing its length next year by offering only one day per week with a bigger group and fewer staff.  The group of students expected in September include several students with very challenging behaviour, not because of their special needs but because they have been excluded from their schools and they are thugs!  Not very encouraging, is it?  Whilst I agree that young people with bad behaviour need to have something so that they have a chance of making a life for themselves rather than end up in prison there seems to be nothing for children like mine. 

My only feeling is that Sunbeam needs to find an apprenticeship with a small, understanding company which would give him focus and continuity and then he might be able to get some peace in his life. 

Meanwhile, I have given up work to be with him as he needs to be accompanied everywhere and he gets very lonely; he still has no friends.

The one thing that keeps me going is my warped sense of humour which all parents of children with difficulties needs to have.  I have a small black handbag which is ideal when going out for a night to a gig.  We went to see French and Saunders on Saturday evening and I took my little black bag with me.  I told my husband that I could smell something a bit off but I couldn’t think what it was and presumed it must be someone who was sitting near us!  I wanted to use my bag again yesterday and started to check what was in it and empty it etc and my hand came out with something furry and very stiff!  My immediate thought when I saw the furry thing in my hand was “It’s a rabbit’s foot!” but I very quickly realised it was a VERY stiff mouse!!!!  It must have jumped into my bag sometime to escape my cats!  My husband seems to think it had been there for sometime as it was a bit wiffy and so stiff!!  Oh great joy!!!!  Now my handbag stinks and Febrese isn’t very good at eliminating dead mouse smells!! Take note!!

Hey Ho!!