svengandhi
Well-Known Member
I finally had the chance today to read through this entire thread and, boy, does it bring back memories.
I first came onto the board Thanksgiving Night of 1999; the impetus was my middle child, then suspended from kindergarten! He is now 21, an Eagle Scout, VP of finance for his college's student government and STILL his own worst enemy... I read and participated heavily in those first few years, under a different name that I don't recall.
Then, my marriage suffered a trauma and I vented about it on the board. My anger and venting upset a long time regular and I removed myself from the board before I got banned. One thing that I will always hold dear from that time is how Fran reached out to me and actually spent two hours on the phone with me one day and just listened to me sob and cry. When I was able to post again without the anger I felt, I returned to the board.
I sometimes feel that I have not been the best poster because I am reticent to share (a trait that my son has inherited to an even greater degree than I have) but I have tried to give advice based on my experiences. I have learned so much from the board and its amazing members over the years and I do recall how much busier the forums were. For me, part of the issue is that I changed jobs a few years ago and can no longer access the board during the day. In the evening, my time is spent helping my youngest son with his HW (he's a junior in HS with pretty severe dyslexia).
I don't do FB or any other social media - that reticence to share popping up again, but I do love coming to this board.
As for the other issues mentioned, difficult child kind of bothered me because I'm Jewish and I felt like it was a Christian thing but I used it because it was the accepted terminology of the time. I don't really like the phrase difficult child because it implies a level of willfulness on the part of the child that I don't think all of them have. My son, for instance, isn't "difficult" as much as he is "guarded" to the point where he will fail a class rather than share a personal opinion. It's anxiety and perfectionism and I never would have figured it out had I not had the collective wisdom of the board to guide me.
As for the FOO forum, my parents are dead and I am estranged from my only sister and hope never to see or hear of her ever again. Although there probably are issues from my childhood that could stand dealing with, I don't really have the interest in doing so. I do read on the forum and find it useful but I don't feel anything I could say would be pertinent.
This is a long post, but what I have to say is that I hope that the board continues. It's the only forum of the 4 I used to belong to that I ever visit or participate in.
I first came onto the board Thanksgiving Night of 1999; the impetus was my middle child, then suspended from kindergarten! He is now 21, an Eagle Scout, VP of finance for his college's student government and STILL his own worst enemy... I read and participated heavily in those first few years, under a different name that I don't recall.
Then, my marriage suffered a trauma and I vented about it on the board. My anger and venting upset a long time regular and I removed myself from the board before I got banned. One thing that I will always hold dear from that time is how Fran reached out to me and actually spent two hours on the phone with me one day and just listened to me sob and cry. When I was able to post again without the anger I felt, I returned to the board.
I sometimes feel that I have not been the best poster because I am reticent to share (a trait that my son has inherited to an even greater degree than I have) but I have tried to give advice based on my experiences. I have learned so much from the board and its amazing members over the years and I do recall how much busier the forums were. For me, part of the issue is that I changed jobs a few years ago and can no longer access the board during the day. In the evening, my time is spent helping my youngest son with his HW (he's a junior in HS with pretty severe dyslexia).
I don't do FB or any other social media - that reticence to share popping up again, but I do love coming to this board.
As for the other issues mentioned, difficult child kind of bothered me because I'm Jewish and I felt like it was a Christian thing but I used it because it was the accepted terminology of the time. I don't really like the phrase difficult child because it implies a level of willfulness on the part of the child that I don't think all of them have. My son, for instance, isn't "difficult" as much as he is "guarded" to the point where he will fail a class rather than share a personal opinion. It's anxiety and perfectionism and I never would have figured it out had I not had the collective wisdom of the board to guide me.
As for the FOO forum, my parents are dead and I am estranged from my only sister and hope never to see or hear of her ever again. Although there probably are issues from my childhood that could stand dealing with, I don't really have the interest in doing so. I do read on the forum and find it useful but I don't feel anything I could say would be pertinent.
This is a long post, but what I have to say is that I hope that the board continues. It's the only forum of the 4 I used to belong to that I ever visit or participate in.
