Epilogue, perhaps

I was summoned back to this blog when I received a notification asking if I wanted to keep it active and continue to moderate comments.

It has been 11 years since I posted, and Squirrel is now an adult (of sorts, as much as an 18 year-old can be). He went through a sea change at 13. His behavior in class became a complete non-issue. His meds were working, and we were able to settle into a routine. While not the most diligent student, he was a very good student, maintaining about a 90 average throughout high school.

He wound up becoming interested in physics, and through that computer science. He's at a decent school that focuses on computers and tech, and is just in heaven. He's surrounded by people with similar interests (gaming, fixing computers). He has a campus job a few hours a week.

Despite these successes, Squirrel never really caught up in math. Because of his constant behavioral issues, he was on a "regular" track with math. He took Algebra in 9th grade, Geometry in 10th, etc. While this is fine, it's obviously not ideal for someone going into a STEM field. I somewhat regret not figuring out a way to push him forward a bit in math. That said, I feel like he can figure it out from here.

My point in posting this is that there can be successes. We may sometimes have to redefine our image of what success looks like. I went through periods of concern that my son would never have good relationships, or be capable of living independently. I realized, through those concerns, that having perfect academics, or achievements in sports or arts just weren't things I could worry about. I needed to focus on these core issues, and ensure that he would be able to have a sense of ownership over an independent life, and be able to share that life with others.

I feel like he's on his way, and life feels good.