Tough

You Are Tough:
Those wimps on "Survivor" have nothing on you. "Outwit - Outplay - Outlast" could be your motto, whether you're dealing with manipulative children, uncooperative educators, unresponsive insurance companies, unsympathetic family members, therapists who refuse to listen and doctors, who don't seem to care. You stay focused, you develop your strategies, you form alliances, and you do what needs to be done.
Because you are understanding and caring and loving, people may mistake you for a pushover. You may even prefer cooperation and compromise to force and subterfuge. But that doesn't mean you don't have the latter two weapons at your disposal. Your other motto? "Whatever works."
Terri Mauro
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Oh, sing it sing it, sistah!!!! I've always said that this whole Spec Ed thing is like a poker game. But honestly, this reference to Survivor seems more appropriate. You do form alliances, you do bluff your way sometimes and you always have the heart string card to play. My "team" has more than once handed me the kleenex box. In fact there are some members who have boo hood right along with me. The outwitting comes in play with insurance and the State of IL with us. To appease a lunatic you have to become one. :-)
Our prayers at dinner have gotten a little off track lately so we came up with going around the table and telling 2 things that you were thankful for. S was thankful for Jesus. Melted my heart. :-) She is also under the impression that for the ISAT test on Friday they will be testing her EYES! ;-) Makes total sense. :-)
After swimming on Tuesday I got to see a mother's tantrum first hand. There was a lady in the locker room that had just lost it - I mean, screaming at her kids, throwing clothes, just in general making a total ass out of herself. From what I could piece together (while trying to keep S out of the "echoing") it was about the children not hurrying and also about one of them not getting out of the pool in time. I had to say a little "thank you, Lord" when thinking about how I have no choice but to NEVER be in a hurry. If we have to hurry to do something - it just can't be done. It gets cut. I've always tried very hard not to loose it in public. You can just see the embarrassment in the kids' faces. I felt sorry for them. Then in came another little girl and she was whistling through the whole thing - getting dressed and then returning to the pool area. I had to admire that. So optimistic at such a young age. We all could learn to whistle away while others throw their fits. :-)