How much does your family know about dinosaurs?

To make up for yesterday, today was wonderful. We didn't have any appointments, play dates, story times, nothing. It was fabulous. I love all of those things I just stated (minus most appointments), but we really just needed a day to breathe. The kids were both in good moods, I was in a good, which is really all that matters, right? Being the mom brings new meaning to the saying, "if mom isn't happy, no one is happy." The only place we had to go today, was to Isabella's ballet class. As we left the house, I grabbed the mail, mainly so that I could feed the hoarding situation in my car, but little did I know, I was about to open a very amusing piece of mail.

I need to sidetrack a bit. Whether you have a child with special needs, or developmental delays that they will overcome, you've probably heard of Help Me Grow. Now, let me just state up front, Help Me Grow, is anything but helpful. Actually, they're a pain the butt. The way this program works in the state of Ohio, is on a consultative basis. Well who the heck knows what that means? I'm here to tell you. It means nothing. It means they drill you with annoying questions that only waste your time. When they were here last month, they wanted to complete a "Parent Survey" in which I would describe, in detail, Isaac's entire day. I played along for about eight minutes until she asked me, "So when in this schedule so far did Isaac have a diaper change?" REALLY? I mean, wait a minute, did I hear you correctly? Did you just ask me for details regarding when and where I change my child's diaper? I DON'T THINK SO! 

Yep, that was the end of that. I told her this whole thing was a complete waste of her time and my time, and said I'd sign any piece of paper she wanted me to sign but I wasn't going to let someone interrogate my mothering skills. The funny thing is, another mom and I were complaining to each other about our issues with this organization, and I told her this story and she said, "Weren't you afraid they wouldn't offer services anymore, or that they would put something in your file?" Um, no. They can write CRAZY PERSON in red Sharpie all over our file and I could care less.

Isaac's physical therapist used to work with Help Me Grow in New Jersey (maybe it was called something else, but basically the same program), where each family received weekly, in-home therapy. She has told me repeatedly, that she wishes the program in Ohio would operate in a similar fashion. I can't even tell you how many parents I've talked with who cannot understand the point of this program. The only good I see out of participating in this organization, is the fact that my child has special needs, and needs to be enrolled in special education, and this is the easiest way to get in "the system". We'll talk about the why of special education another time, because I know some people have a hard time coming to terms with all of that. A quick answer: IT'S FREE THERAPY FOUR DAYS A WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (when referring to preschool) Did that help? I sure hope so.

Anyway, I am way off topic from this piece of mail I was going to share with you. Help Me Grow sent out a Family Survey. First of all, I am super excited about this because I have plenty to share with them about how unhelpful their organization is. Secondly, they included a bit of direction for filling out the survey, which made me laugh out loud:

On every page, you will be asked to answer questions like the example below:

How much does your family know about dinosaurs?

1 We know a little about dinosaurs
2
3 We know some about dinosaurs
4
5 We know a good amount about dinosaurs
6
7 We know a great deal about dinosaurs

• Read each question and circle the number that best describes your family right now.
• If the statement almost describes your family, but not quite, circle the number to the left or the right. For example, if you feel that the statement "5," "We know a good amount about dinosaurs" almost describes your family, but not quite, circle the "4."
• If you do not know how to answer a question, or if you are not comfortable answering the question, skip it and go to the next question. 

For the record, I'm not comfortable answering that question. I sure hope the next question isn't about dinosaurs too.