caring for my minor children when I have ME

[SnappingTurtle]

Any parent with ME taking care of minor children by yourself?

I am in Georgia, USA and have a 10 and 13 year old. Was wondering what to expect when interacting with my kids' schools (older one is starting public high school, younger is in private) and what kind of resources I should line up, in case my caregiver husband becomes ill himself.

I was thinking how I couldn't attend school events now unless I am having a good day and my husband can drive me and push me around in wheelchair. I would struggle with the day to day of taking care of myself and the kids at home, much less taking them to school or bus stop.

Is it possible to officially receive accommodations from their schools to, for example, video stream a meeting when I cannot physically be there? Other than asking a friend to record it? Are public schools supposed to be ADA accessible? Are there other types of assistance one might get? I am almost afraid to approach family services for fear they might put us on their future radar and maybe take the kids from me.

 

[bradipa]

Hi SnappingTurtle,
I'm in Europe, so I don't have any tips for you regarding assistance in Giorgia. But I sure can relate.

I am married and have a ten year old daughter. Until this year I practially took care of her all by myself, since she suffers from (social) anxiety and relies on me in challenging situations, while my husband worked full time. A lot of the other things that have to be done in every day life, tidying up, cleaning, grocery shopping, finances, cooking I have, bit by bit, already had to leave to my husband, who, as a consequence, reduced his job to 25 hours/week.

In april, when I left the hospital after a stay in cardiology, I couldn't walk at all and all of my symptoms reached a new dimension. We've been struggling since. What's making all particularly difficult is the fact that now my light, noise and touch sensitivity hinders me from having her cose to me for more than a few minutes.

Regarding school.
How are your relations to the school staff? In my experience, nearly everything depends on the goodwill of headmaster and teachers. I found it helped a lot to talk to them, tell them about your situation. The video streaming and recording are good ideas. You could, for example, ask if rooms are accessible, if they could plan gatherings outside or on the first floor instead of the third. If there are stairs and if the doors are wide enough, and how about the bathroom. You could ask if they could write a protocol for parents meetings, so you don't necessarily have to go there.

Also, maybe it's not the end of the world to miss some events. School theatre yes, parents meeting no, for example. Maybe there is a close friend or relative who can take your place when your children are involved in something, you can ask your children about that.

Family services - my husband has the same fear. But in the long term, unless one doesn't already have a bunch of friends or relatives who are willing and capable to help, or loads of money to pay someone, it may be difficult to bypass them. We're exploring the possibilities at the moment.