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Sep. 18th, 2009 09:48 pmThe house is in chaos. The laundry is piling up, the dishes are piling up, and there is sawdust all over the place from the series of 'Baby proof gates' they installed last week.
Guppy and Frogspawn sit on the sofa, looking vaguely embarrassed. Max sits on the floor with Alex, doing some developmental assessment puzzles with him (they tried to do it in clinic, but the baby refused to perform). He glances up at the parents.
"Don't look so worried, he's doing great." he says encouragingly. "His development's a little all over the place from area to area but nothing to be concerned about."
"It's not that, I'm just embarrassed about the house." Frogspawn says.
Max smiles. "Don't worry, I don't judge and I've seen a lot worse."
"It's not normally this bad, just over the last few weeks it's all got a bit over the top." she says. "I ran out of maternity leave and am back at work most of the time. I pick him up from nursery on the way home from work, and on my days off he's with me all day, and... I just can't get anything done!"
"He doesn't amuse himself?" Max asks. "From what you've said he has quite a long attention span for certain activities."
"Oh he can amuse himself." Guppy says. "But you can't turn your back on him for a second. He bangs his head on anything hard he can get to, he'll eat the cat food, dog food, escape out the cat flap by shoving the cat through it first, lodge himself under the sofa, and he's half way to working out how to open these baby gates we installed less than a week ago. It's not like we leave him unattended for long, just to go to the bathroom or put the kettle on. He doesn't go to sleep until eleven even if we do put him in his crib, and although he doesn't cry he will sit and head bang which worries us and... well, he's running us ragged. What are we doing wrong?"
Max nods. "You're not doing anything wrong, he's just being a baby and you'll just have to keep outsmarting him. Soon as we finish up here, we'll have a chat, okay?"
He finishes assessing Alex and adds up the figures. He comes out with a developmental age somewhere between seven and a half months and eleven and a half months in different areas. Then he takes the parents into the hallway leaving Alex occupied with Pingu, in sight but out of his earshot.
"You two look very stressed. Are you sleeping? When's the last time you went out?"
"Neither of us sleep or go out much anyway." Guppy admits. "And I told you what happened with Grandma on the one occasion we tried. We're more worried about the way other parents at nursery are behaving towards Alex. Also someone is shoving unpleasant notes through the door, telling us to get a nanny and stop inflicting him on everyone else."
Max frowns. "Well that's very unfair of them. If you want I can get an explanatory letter circulated through the nursery for you. Have they threatened to hurt him?"
"No, nothing like that." Frogspawn says. "Do you think we should take him out of nursery? I'm not sure I'd want to leave him with a nanny but I've been thinking of giving up work."
"It's your decision, but at the end of the day, he's going to have to get used to being around other kids unless you're going to home school him. He's a smart, good kid 95% of the time. To be honest if it weren't for the dislike of being touched he's so cute they'd probably want to adopt him. I'll have a chat with Barney; I think he'll be able to sort things out."
Max leaves, and Guppy lingers in the living room to watch Alex, slightly comforted about his parenting skills. Though the continued discussion of work and nannies is slightly tense.
The next day at nursery two letters are circulated; the first containing information about Autistic Spectrum Disorders, the second threatening explusion of any children whose parents harrass other parents. Guppy lingers to read them through, feeling glad that someone here is on their side. A couple of the other parents even come up and apologise for giving him a hard time, though Bethany's parents don't. Well, at least the threat of expulsion should keep them off Alex's back for a while.
Guppy and Frogspawn sit on the sofa, looking vaguely embarrassed. Max sits on the floor with Alex, doing some developmental assessment puzzles with him (they tried to do it in clinic, but the baby refused to perform). He glances up at the parents.
"Don't look so worried, he's doing great." he says encouragingly. "His development's a little all over the place from area to area but nothing to be concerned about."
"It's not that, I'm just embarrassed about the house." Frogspawn says.
Max smiles. "Don't worry, I don't judge and I've seen a lot worse."
"It's not normally this bad, just over the last few weeks it's all got a bit over the top." she says. "I ran out of maternity leave and am back at work most of the time. I pick him up from nursery on the way home from work, and on my days off he's with me all day, and... I just can't get anything done!"
"He doesn't amuse himself?" Max asks. "From what you've said he has quite a long attention span for certain activities."
"Oh he can amuse himself." Guppy says. "But you can't turn your back on him for a second. He bangs his head on anything hard he can get to, he'll eat the cat food, dog food, escape out the cat flap by shoving the cat through it first, lodge himself under the sofa, and he's half way to working out how to open these baby gates we installed less than a week ago. It's not like we leave him unattended for long, just to go to the bathroom or put the kettle on. He doesn't go to sleep until eleven even if we do put him in his crib, and although he doesn't cry he will sit and head bang which worries us and... well, he's running us ragged. What are we doing wrong?"
Max nods. "You're not doing anything wrong, he's just being a baby and you'll just have to keep outsmarting him. Soon as we finish up here, we'll have a chat, okay?"
He finishes assessing Alex and adds up the figures. He comes out with a developmental age somewhere between seven and a half months and eleven and a half months in different areas. Then he takes the parents into the hallway leaving Alex occupied with Pingu, in sight but out of his earshot.
"You two look very stressed. Are you sleeping? When's the last time you went out?"
"Neither of us sleep or go out much anyway." Guppy admits. "And I told you what happened with Grandma on the one occasion we tried. We're more worried about the way other parents at nursery are behaving towards Alex. Also someone is shoving unpleasant notes through the door, telling us to get a nanny and stop inflicting him on everyone else."
Max frowns. "Well that's very unfair of them. If you want I can get an explanatory letter circulated through the nursery for you. Have they threatened to hurt him?"
"No, nothing like that." Frogspawn says. "Do you think we should take him out of nursery? I'm not sure I'd want to leave him with a nanny but I've been thinking of giving up work."
"It's your decision, but at the end of the day, he's going to have to get used to being around other kids unless you're going to home school him. He's a smart, good kid 95% of the time. To be honest if it weren't for the dislike of being touched he's so cute they'd probably want to adopt him. I'll have a chat with Barney; I think he'll be able to sort things out."
Max leaves, and Guppy lingers in the living room to watch Alex, slightly comforted about his parenting skills. Though the continued discussion of work and nannies is slightly tense.
The next day at nursery two letters are circulated; the first containing information about Autistic Spectrum Disorders, the second threatening explusion of any children whose parents harrass other parents. Guppy lingers to read them through, feeling glad that someone here is on their side. A couple of the other parents even come up and apologise for giving him a hard time, though Bethany's parents don't. Well, at least the threat of expulsion should keep them off Alex's back for a while.
