Reetzbobeetz wrote:

I agree only joined to view family photos and was alarmed when internet browsing a site wanted me to comment about them on facebook - wow they had sussed me out when I was only "window shopping~" did not like that

cath: my everlasting respect
lorchen: same to you - these are the teachers that really make a difference

facebook: can be tiresome at times yes - but... when i joined i finally got to know my nieces and nephews - and my relationship with my SIL improved 500%. (she's my older brother's second wife - and as i had been very good friends with his first wife - i wasn't very acceptable for a long time). living so far from my immediate family (i'm in switzerland - they are all in canada) it really let's me keep a closer contact - as only my mom and i write letters (and these unfortunately quite sparingly) a completely new world of family opened up for me. now when i visit (i try to be there for 3 weeks or so at least once every 2 years - sometimes every year) the kids and i actually have "conversations" and do stuff together - before our facebook connection, they did the duty hellos to an unknown aunt and that was it...
with my younger brother and his wife and daughter - there is no "need" for facebook as we actually communicate off and on - and helena was brought up to know who that foreign aunt is - she and her mom visited me for 2 weeks this summer and that was just FANTASTIC )
and i've refound some great old friends with whom i had completely lost touch when i moved to switzerland 25 years ago - so that's a big huge plus for facebook from my side

Cath, you do have your hands full. You must have great strength and fortitude. I guess Facebook would be good in your situation - the internet in whatever form is a great way of keeping in touch when we are too busy to see people face to face. One of my dear friends and fellow musicians is also autistic and the most amazing musician you are likely to meet. His ability to pick up any instrument and play it with ease is mind-boggling. And he is a lovely person as well. My respect and best wishes to you. Rita.

Lorchen wrote:
Thank you!! You are correct about amazing talents. I was lucky, both of my amazing boys are gifted in Maths/Science. This means that I have been able to pitch to their pure logic when needed. You are right about the energy, strength and patience though. As I now have 17 years experience, I often mentor other parents with special needs children. My key tip- remember to celebrate the small wins! We often concentrate on what they aren't doing or are doing wrong, and forget to celebrate all the small things they are doing well in spite of their challenges. My two greatest moments: When David's 6th grade teacher (the first year he was medicated for ADHD), said "did you know he is exceptionally gifted" LOL - he previously had the attention span of a flea, and had always maintained above average results, mmmm I guess I knew.. The first time Blaid said "I love you", he was 8 years old, and it wasn't simply a response! I remember it like it was yesterday..

I do have to thank some amazing teachers and teachers' aides on the way through their education.. If I was ever about to give up, there are some special people here, who in a parent teacher conversation reminded me of the boys "awesomeness" and kept us all going. Teachers like you need to be cherished...

Loved the quotes above.. one of my favourites was when Blaid's teacher's aide was talking about "sayings" with Blaid, and asked him to draw what he thought we meant when we said things like "get off my back" or "give me a hand".. he literally drew himself on my back, and with a saw cutting off his hand.. no wonder he always got quite upset when I said give me a hand. LOL.

Cath, my full respect. You really have a challenge.I wonder how you manage that. And Lorchen, I have been thinking of your not very easy teaching. I love the way you see these personalities and I truly feel, that because you respect them, you reach them and then they give you those amazing moments. And the questions are just wonderful. Make me smile.

Lorchen wrote:

OH MY!! :shock: Better you than me!

Cath, you have my full respect, bringing up an autistic and a ADHD child. The word 'challenging' is not really adequate. These kids are simply amazing. It takes a lot of energy, strength, and patience to understand them and establish a relationship with them. But if we persevere, the rewards are mind-blowing. Most special needs children are talented in some areas, and - oh boy - do they amaze us, once we have found those talents.

About the 'Reproduction and Fertilisation' lessons: It was hard work, but we got there. We did have quite a lot of those moments when it's difficult to keep a straight face. For example: "Miss, if a pregnant woman walks, does the baby inside her get sea-sick?", "Babies are born after 40 weeks of destillation.", or "Miss, when are you going to have another baby?" (For your information, I'm 59 years old), and finally: "Miss, if bees can go from plant to plant and fertilise them, why can't they do the same for women?"

I'm the complete opposite. I love Facebook. As a working single mum of 2 special needs boys, I don't always have the time to catch up with my myriad of friends. Facebook allows me to do that, and know any important events, etc in their lives.. I now catch up with about 20-30 people on a weekly basis, who previously I may have seen yearly or less. This is done via our individual schedules, so my busy-ness does not prevent our ability to remain friends.

Although, my nearest and dearest are friends on Facebook, we don't use Facebook generally to catch up... Although we do share photos this way.

Lorchen - hope the science class went well... as a Mum of an autistic 17 year old, I know how frustrating they can be. At the same time, this was easier with him, as it was all very fact based... the ADHD 15 year old, mmmmmmm another story..

I've only been on it since May and I agree there are a lot of posts that show people have too much free time on their hands, but I found it a good way to keep up with close family members that are going through a difficult time and the photographs are nice when your family is scattered all over the country plus some in other countries and you don't get to see them often.

Yes I agree with everybody. Facebook is for young people who have nothing else to do. I got so tired of the endless emails reminding me that people wanted to be my friend or that I had not been on facebook for a day or so! I don't like the infringement of my privacy either. I decided that I would prefer not to know what my kids are up to on facebook so I de-activated my account. Liberating!

I avoid facebook too. I also refuse to text on the phone. I just feel if someone wants to communicate with me they can call and talk to me, or email me. I love letters too, but sadly that seems to be a thing of the past.

I really don't like Facebook and have had a couple of bad problems ! And now FB is getting Spammed and Scammed ..There are
other ways to communicate.

Good luck with 'the birds & the bees' tomorrow/today. Personally I haven't gone anywhere near Facebook yet, but suspect I will have to sometime in the future, just to keep up with Isabeau.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has to be quite selective when it comes to what to read/watch/do on the internet, due to a serious lack of time.

I'm on Facebook because there is the odd time when it's the only way to find out what my Goddaughter is up to. I probably spend 5 minutes on Facebook every other week or so.

Why am I boring you all with this? Well, I keep getting requests from people who want to be my 'Friends'. I love having friends, but I simply haven't time to communicate with them via Facebook. And sometimes I don't recognize the names at all. Now and then I feel like clicking on 'accept' a few times, but right now there must be about 50 requests that I have not dealt with.

Sooooo, please, if your request has not been accepted, or if you don't hear from me via Facebook, please, forgive me, and remember: I'm checking the Forum almost every day before I go to bed, and I always check my emails daily if you contact me via my TQS profile.

And if any of you knows where I can get a few hours of time without having to pay for it, so that I can do more, just let me know.

In the meantime, I'm off to bed, because tomorrow will be another fun day at school, including two science lessons with autistic 14-year-olds. The current topic: Fertilisation and Reproduction. Wish me luck!