Those Trying Times

30 Number of days in September that I was called to pick Colton up from school

5 Number of times Colton ran away from school

6 Age of first suspension from kindergarten

3 Number of days of first suspension

3 Number of more days that I have to take off work

11 Number of times Colton hid under the table in August in kindergarten

I look back now in amazement at those days. Luckily I had a very understanding job that allowed me to leave almost every day for 30 days. School in Florida starts the 2nd week of August. I was very recently separated from my husband in June. My son is emotionally reacting to the separation. My husband was zero percent supportive of his problems with his behavior. Colton acted that way because I was a horrible mother.
Colton would hide under the table, disrupt the class, throw things, hit his teachers, run away all over the school. He was totally disruptive and no one could control him including me. During this time I tried everything. Taking priveleges away, spankings, threatening, long talks, you name it I tried it. Nothing worked. One day it all comes to a head.
Colton slaps the dare officer at the school. I am once again called to the school and am told that either I take him for a psychological exam or they will Baker Act him into a mental hospital where I will lose all control over his medical care. After many tears and feeling like my world has ended (how can it get any worse than this?) I proceed to the hospital.
Don't forget now I also have a daughter who is one year older than Colton who never gives me any problems, does great in school who is also trying to cope with the fact that her father no longer lives in our house and her brother gets all the attention.
I quickly arrange for a friend to pick her up from school and on to the hospital we go. Of course we have to go through the ER in order for the insurance to pay. We are finally admitted to the pysch ward and I have to leave my hysterical 6 year old with them for observation. I am mentally and physically exhausted. I don't think that I have one tear left in my body. I was there for hours giving them information on our lives and history on Colton.
I leave to pick up my daughter from my friends house where I collapse on her couch and somehow find the tears to cry as if my world has ended. Now my poor 7 year old daughter is completely confused as to what is happening and somehow I pull myself together and drive home with her. 7 years later it feels like it happened only yesterday and I can still feel the terror that I felt during those times.