Kepler is currently scheduled to attend a total of 12 half-days of “Extended School Year,” which is a service provided by the school system to keep him in the routine of school, as well as to provide extra academic support for him over the summer. Three of the days will be transition days to the new school (moving up from Primary to Elementary) in August. Those three days will be quite good for him to have.

As for the rest of the days, I’m so torn. I deeply appreciate the services we receive through the school system, but honestly and truly, I want to have this summer with him. We have been working together on his academics and this may be the first time I have ever been so completely enjoying the process with him. I have found a few online resources that he particularly enjoys and I know we can gain momentum by working together every day. If I send him to the ESY classes, we will not be able to get much done on two of the three days each week.

I suppose part of my situation is fear. Somehow I have the idea that if you don’t take advantage of services, they tend to go away. Ultimately, I know there are federal guidelines and probably state and board of education guidelines as well that dictate how services are administered, but I can’t imagine how I would go about finding how which ones of those guidelines affect us. If you read my post yesterday about the bank, maybe you can appreciate that if I find online banking to be tricky to keep up with, understanding the implications and applications of a federal bill might be rather intimidating.

Ever since I heard Alison Armstrong speak about the Queen’s Code, I’ve had a completely different outlook about my life; my responsibilities, my relationships, my possibilities. I find this new outlook to be energizing where I previously experienced these same things as enervating.

James Altucher wrote a recent post called “I Give myself Permission.” James has been a go-to read for me for a couple of years now. After reading that post, and talking through the possibilities with my sister, I have decided that I’m giving myself permission to trust myself in my choice to work with Kepler at home this summer, and have fun going to so many of the fun places in our city. Places where we can walk in nature, swim, see animals, create, and enjoy each day together.

I’m giving myself permission to trust that the resources I need will be there, as they always have been, and permission to say no when I want to, and to say yes when I want to. I am giving myself permission to try this without any guarantees that it is going to turn out any particular way.

I’m giving myself permission to say yes to this little boy throwing his arms around my neck just because. Kisses on my cheek from him throughout the day. Singing songs to him and exploring with him. Giving him my undivided attention as we learn by doing. Yep, my dear school system, you can have him back in two months, but these two months? They’re mine and Kepler’s.   Have a nice summer.