Unbelievable Confirmation

Picture it:
Our little girl goes off to preschool and, for the first time in our parenting lives, we are sitting in a parent-teacher conference. Expectations are high that the report will be full of rave reviews on the intelligence and kindness of our daughter. What we get instead is a frustrating account of all the things Katey is falling short in. At first I wanted to cry (all my hopes dashed) but later had to laugh. Did it really matter if our 4 year old refused to hold a pencil correctly or just could not get the hang of how to use a pair of scissors or insisted on being the caboose in line?

Since then, teacher conferences have been much the same. We are told over and over that Katey is a very smart and kind child who: refuses to sit and write; doesn't add enough detail to drawings; won't participate in book club discussions...just to name a few. The teachers seem to love her and be frustrated with her all at the same time. We've gone through this no less than a dozen times since Katey began school.

Two weeks ago I answered a phone call. Katey's teacher wanted to talk with me for a few minutes and I was gearing up for the bad news. What I got, instead, was a wonderful report! Since going on medication, Katey is sitting and doing her work, her handwriting has improved, she is participating in class discussions and she is listening to instruction! I almost cried with joy and relief. Unbelievable confirmation that we are on the right track!!