So I have made a promise to myself and it is called You will watch the first 20 minutes of a popular national morning show every day!

Not always is there time or am I in front of the TV so I am even taping it to watch later in the morning if I have to.

But I am going to keep this promise.

I made this promise to myself because I have sometimes been the person who goes around saying What happened? When did this happen? …

And I hope the person I am talking to will have the required time and patience to fill me in.

So as I am keeping this promise I am now so very inundated with information about the world. The stresses, challenges and changes each day brings.

The one thing that stands out for me in all this is that the world really does swirl around us. And for most of us, OUR world swirls around as well. So we have these 2 swirling things that affect each other and cause effects to each other.

The topic of school and masks and vaccines is making the return to school probably bigger and more anxiety producing than we ever thought possible.

This is a fact for everyone.

Now add the variable when you have a child with special needs.

Now feel the stress grow.

I can feel stress for Elizabeth and how this all affects her world and she is no longer in school. For those who don’t already know, Elizabeth is my daughter with special needs. She has Dyspraxia and Sensory Processing Disorder ( SPD). Life for her includes managing these disorders all day, everyday. Will her work continue? What we she do if things shut down again? How will she feel? And on and on….

But for those in school, the stress is so different and compounded by the fact that pandemic or not, the IEP meeting needs to happen or the evaluation still must be scheduled. Let alone, the private therapies the need scheduled.

The needs of your special needs child need addressed and items for them put in order, pandemic or not.

I know that when I used to have to hunt for papers or records or remember the last conversation I had with the school, I can feel a wash of slight panic until I find them.

And the papers and forms just keep coming.

So something maybe to consider doing this year is to fine tune your record keeping regime for the sake of peace of mind.

Maybe instead of the pile labeled 2021-2022 school year ( Yes, I did that one year early on and it wasn’t pretty by only the half year mark) It may be the right time to make folders for the following:

School papers (general)

Therapy reports/communications

IEP Records

Communications with teacher

Communications with other school professionals

Medical reports

And more.

Then put them all into a bin to use as a make shift filing cabinet.

Then you will know what to do right away with a paper that arrives home. And sometimes in a world of crazy organizing a small piece of it can do wonders for keeping the clutter down.

Knowing that last year’s school year left holes in records or communications can make doing this organization this year even more important. This way when the school calls and asks a question or needs a letter, you will know right where to find it.

And that can bring you some peace.

And any peace of mind currently is more than welcome.

I wish everyone a peaceful week and please wear a mask. Stay Safe!

Michele Gianetti author of “I Believe In You”

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