I Am Super! a book by Beth Black

School days are here again!

School is back in session people! Kamp is officially a kindergartner; he is in a “small group” kinder class for kids with autism. The house is SO quiet and peaceful (sigh, smile); it does the heart good.

As selfish as it sounds –  to want Kamp in school all day – I do worry about him a lot;  he is officially in the public school system.  I think, as parents, when we send our kids off to school we hope they will fit in, be liked and avoid the heartache of not being accepted. It’s a little different sending your kid to school knowing full well he won’t fit in.

As cute as Kamp is – and he is stinkin’ cute – he does weird things. He yells and screams (for no apparent reason), flaps his hands, spins in circles, and frequently tries to hide under his chair. Kids can be cruel and I’m not naive to think that there aren’t kids who wouldn’t be mean to him.

Personal Experience

When I first moved to St. George in the fourth grade I was bullied by a group of boys. How about this, I’ll give you their names:  John Ence, Riley Malan and Wayne Hill (Jerks!). They were awful to me and I never really knew why. It was horrible.

So you can imagine my fear sending Kamp to school when he already acts a little “Napoleon Dynamite-ish.” I’m sure there are “John Ence’s” and “Riley Malan’s” locked, loaded and looking for someone to torture.

My nephew Tyler Valdez is one of those high school kids you expect to be a jerk. He’s handsome, athletic, and popular. But he happens to be one the nicest kids in the world. Not only is he nice, he is kind too. He decided last year to friend an autistic kid in one of his classes. He made a point of talking to him every day and looked after him to make sure that others were treating him nice.

I hope and pray that Kamp will find a “Tyler” to be his friend. Someone who will be willing to take him under their wing and make sure that everyone else treats him kindly too.

On the other hand, there’s always the possibility that Kamp’s a little more prepared than I give him credit for; he has given me some pretty wicked bruises this summer.