OK ladies, you guys have all been with me since Jake was a baby and Nicole hadn't even started kindergarten. You've read my rants during her struggles in elementary school with reading and just focus in general. You've read my rants from middle school when I thought her "missing assignments" and failing EVERY SINGLE CLASS at some point in the year from 6th grade through 9th grade was going to send me over the edge. You've been around and sympathized with me through her total bitch years (which she thankfully seems to be over). But what I probably haven't had the chance to tell you since I haven't been around lately, is just how much she turned a corner her sophomore year, and has really taken charge of her present and her future. Her freshman year was bad enough that it wrecked her chances of being in honor society, or for qualifying for certain scholarships based on transcripts. But let me just tell you - this kid has had a 4.0 or better every semester starting sophomore year, and she's done well enough to be able to wear certain honors regalia at graduation. I could not be prouder! This week is her last week of high school, and assuming she doesn't drop the ball in any significant way this last week, she should be receiving a cum laude medal the morning of graduation.
So here is her slide from the virtual Senior Awards night. I can't wait to see what the future holds for her. As long as her new independence doesn't cause her to slip back into old habits, she's going to do amazing things. Thanks for indulging me my proud mama moment.
Proud mama moment
Proud mama moment
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Julie Fugina
#26 in the order of the PAO
#26 in the order of the PAO
Re: Proud mama moment
WTG, Nicole!
Julie, I know you're really proud of her. Sometimes we think we're never going to see that corner turned, and then miraculously it happens! (I'm still waiting for Chris to turn his!
)
At this point she's learned that her path contains some work, and she's developed a great work ethic. Nicole is going to continue to make you proud of her.
Julie, I know you're really proud of her. Sometimes we think we're never going to see that corner turned, and then miraculously it happens! (I'm still waiting for Chris to turn his!
)At this point she's learned that her path contains some work, and she's developed a great work ethic. Nicole is going to continue to make you proud of her.
Re: Proud mama moment
That's wonderful! 
Way to go, Nicole!!!
Way to go, Nicole!!!No. 28 in the Order of PAO
Chief Bearer of the Torch and Admin
Chief Bearer of the Torch and Admin
Re: Proud mama moment
Many, many, many Kudos to Nicole!
As far as being a Proud Mama, go right ahead
and gush all you want to, we listened when you
were frustrated and we are definitely listening
to you now because we are proud of Nicole, also
As far as being a Proud Mama, go right ahead
and gush all you want to, we listened when you
were frustrated and we are definitely listening
to you now because we are proud of Nicole, also
Be Yourself, Everyone else is taken
Elizabeth in Brooklyn
Elizabeth in Brooklyn
Re: Proud mama moment
Gush away and enjoy being a proud momma! I am so excited and happy for Nicole and thrilled to know she has made good decisions with fabulous results. She has shown courage in turning things around and will go far with that feeling of empowerment.
Way to go Nicole!
Way to go Nicole!
FARLEY in Sacramento
Re: Proud mama moment
What a happy ending to her High School years! We are all proud of her!
Re: Proud mama moment
Thank you all! I knew you’d all share in my joy.
Julie Fugina
#26 in the order of the PAO
#26 in the order of the PAO
Re: Proud mama moment
wonderful news!!
Re: Proud mama moment
As an aside, I do want to mention that I'm really thankful to see some of the additional focus on mental health and psychological disorders over the last few years. Some of it surely came from the stress of the pandemic, but the result has been more normalization and acknowledging mental health/psych issues without all of the stigma. And I'm noticing that many colleges are offering more services to their students in those areas as well.
The reason I'm bringing this up, is because I still think that Nicole has ADD (not ADHD, which is why no one felt any need to address it). What I think finally changed over the last several years is that she finally reached a level of maturity that allows her to push through her focus problems. She still struggles A LOT with certain subjects (she couldn't read a novel if her life depended on it). And that was always written off as her just being "lazy". But I really don't think that was the case. And it was a shame that through all of those years in elementary when every single teacher complained about her organizational skills and her inability to focus, that not a single person recommended we have her evaluated. By the time we got to middle school, I insisted on having her evaluated. But by the time you're 12/13, and you're asking for evaluations from teachers (which was the first step before a psychologist would see you), those middle school teachers will all just attribute it to "typical teenage distraction". Rob was also very adamant that nothing was "wrong" with her, and fought me every step of the way. Not helpful.
Then by the time she was in high school, and I was really getting worried about all of the doors that were already closing from an academic standpoint, I couldn't get her in to a child psychologist at all. The wait was 9 months to be seen for new patients, unless there was an immanent danger of self-harm. At the time I also remembered noticing how all of a sudden it seemed like autism was gaining major awareness, and every single parent everywhere thought their kid was "on the spectrum". And they probably all are, because what is "normal" anyway? Alas, Nicole never did get any kind of real evaluation for ADD because every adult that interacted with her every day just labeled her as lazy or said she was constantly daydreaming, and just needed to try harder.
I have given Nicole strict instructions that if she starts struggling in college, for whatever reason, that she was to march herself right down to either the health clinic if it's mental health or to her advisor if it's academics. When I was in college, they were all too happy to accept your tuition and let you flunk out. Thankfully colleges now are developing programs to help students identify their issues and give them whatever extra help they need to be successful. And maybe the right answer is that college isn't the right path. And that's OK too, but her instruction from me is to seek help, and take advantage of those resources before giving up. She's come so far, and it's still a struggle. Thankfully we live in a different world now than where we were when she was in grade school.
The reason I'm bringing this up, is because I still think that Nicole has ADD (not ADHD, which is why no one felt any need to address it). What I think finally changed over the last several years is that she finally reached a level of maturity that allows her to push through her focus problems. She still struggles A LOT with certain subjects (she couldn't read a novel if her life depended on it). And that was always written off as her just being "lazy". But I really don't think that was the case. And it was a shame that through all of those years in elementary when every single teacher complained about her organizational skills and her inability to focus, that not a single person recommended we have her evaluated. By the time we got to middle school, I insisted on having her evaluated. But by the time you're 12/13, and you're asking for evaluations from teachers (which was the first step before a psychologist would see you), those middle school teachers will all just attribute it to "typical teenage distraction". Rob was also very adamant that nothing was "wrong" with her, and fought me every step of the way. Not helpful.
Then by the time she was in high school, and I was really getting worried about all of the doors that were already closing from an academic standpoint, I couldn't get her in to a child psychologist at all. The wait was 9 months to be seen for new patients, unless there was an immanent danger of self-harm. At the time I also remembered noticing how all of a sudden it seemed like autism was gaining major awareness, and every single parent everywhere thought their kid was "on the spectrum". And they probably all are, because what is "normal" anyway? Alas, Nicole never did get any kind of real evaluation for ADD because every adult that interacted with her every day just labeled her as lazy or said she was constantly daydreaming, and just needed to try harder.
I have given Nicole strict instructions that if she starts struggling in college, for whatever reason, that she was to march herself right down to either the health clinic if it's mental health or to her advisor if it's academics. When I was in college, they were all too happy to accept your tuition and let you flunk out. Thankfully colleges now are developing programs to help students identify their issues and give them whatever extra help they need to be successful. And maybe the right answer is that college isn't the right path. And that's OK too, but her instruction from me is to seek help, and take advantage of those resources before giving up. She's come so far, and it's still a struggle. Thankfully we live in a different world now than where we were when she was in grade school.
Julie Fugina
#26 in the order of the PAO
#26 in the order of the PAO
Re: Proud mama moment
Interesting that you say this, Julie. you may well be right. Our daughter did not find out she has ADD until she was in her late 20s. All through school, she was an excellent student though she was a very slow writer. There weren't the usual symptoms at all. It wasn't until she was working fulltime, in a stressful relationship with an ADHD partner and doing post grad courses that she couldn't handle it all. She did a lot of reading about it, went to different doctors until she found one who would listen, tried different medications and now is happy with how she manages it.