The Summer Flies By...

It's been awhile since my last post, not from want of ideas, just time.  My nine year old couldn't be happier that it's summer, while my four year old begs for preschool everyday. My heart goes out to the mom that doesn't get to enjoy summer with her kids.  Of course the funds are lacking for certain things I'd like to sign the kids up for and for mutiple vacations.  But, you don't miss what you never had, right? For the past five years there seems to be a stress maker for our family every summer. There has been a lay off, a spinal injury, cancer and last year's broken arm.  We've gotten though half this summer a-ok.  What has been a personal stress has been my son's anxiety.  I posted last November that he does not have any form of autism, but has separation anxiety. He has been seeing a psychiatrist since then.  Third grade had put such stress on him, I think he forgot that he even had anxiety about me and focused it all on school.  Well since school is out, the separation anxiety has come back full force.  A day does not go by that he asks me if I'm ok or tells me that he's worried about me.  If I catch a cold, he asks me if I'm going to die.  There is a logic I see in his eyes that he knows I'm ok, but can't get his brain out of the habit of asking anyway.  We have not been able to see his psychiatrist this summer due to the doctor's new schedule and office. So I came up with the idea that my son has to stop himself from worrying.  He's allowed to ask me once a day if I'm ok and after that he loses TV time. This has been a good motivator, but it's making me worry about his mental health.  He also seems to "feel" every little scratch or bump as this major pain.  I have his yearly check-up coming up, so I can at least ask then.  Being a boy, that is not going to look any good in front of the other fourth graders.  As always, it's been my mission to help him be the best he can be. It just continues to be a long road.