What’s Going On Here?

We’re driving up to Vermont in an hour to take Ian to autism college. We all packed up, and just waiting for Jonah. I have an hour to kill, so let’s BLOG!

Jonah crashed at a friend’s apartment in Jersey City last night. We told him to get here by 10:00, so we would arrive in New Haven in time for lunch. New Haven has great pizza. Not quite Jersey-level pizza, but it’s definitely worth a stop on the way up to New England. With a 10:00 deadline, Jonah will be sure to get here at 9:59.

Jonah self-identified as an ADHD personality a few years ago. He’s mostly functional, so it’s not a huge worry, but that label does help to explain certain personality traits. I’ve started clicking on suggested ADHD videos on Instagram and Tiktok, so those videos made by ADHD people are dominating my video feeds right now. Now, I’m convinced that I have ADHD, too.

Ian is so excited to go away to college. It’s a special program for kids with autism and ADHD who are heading to full time college in the fall. In the morning, he and his classmates will improve their self-advocacy and social skills. After a lunch break, they work on their writing skills in afternoon, because kids who got stuck in the special system are never taught real skills like that. He will do that five days a week, for five weeks.

Ian was placed in a dorm suite with three other guys. Two rooms, a common area, and a shared bathroom. They’re supposed to keep the bathroom clean on their own. Not sure how that’s going to work out.

At 22, this is Ian’s first time away from us, beyond an occasional overnight stay at my folks’ house. There are sleep-away camps for disabled kids, but Ian was too high functioning for them. At the same time, he had too many issues for camps for typical kids. So, he fell into the void. Of course, his school didn’t provide him with any trips, even though they just sent a pack of typical kids to Bali this summer.

Ian’s very excited and nervous at the same time. He’s ready for this adventure, but it’s a big step for all of us. I’m going to sob when the car pulls away. I know it.

This college asked Ian to apply for the full year program, but we declined. He’s attending the local community college this fall. He’ll take four computer science classes at a fraction of the cost of this college in Vermont. But we’ll see. If the experience is really enriching for him, we’ll figure out the costs.

With Ian gone, I’m planning on working full time. I’m doing a mix of paid and volunteer work this summer, with the balance shifting towards paid work in the fall. There’s a lot going on. I’ll share more details when the plans become more solid. I will say that I helped someone buy a $2 million office building last week, and that was quite an adventure.

When Ian gets back, we’ll go away. I didn’t want to plan a trip overseas when he was at this college, just in case he had a medical emergency. In mid-August, Jonah will watch Ian for a week, so we can go to Spain. Barcelona and that area. This will be our first trip in 25 years without kids. Lots of “firsts” this year.

And now, it’s time to get the suitcases and duffle bags in the car. Hope everyone had a great July 4th!