Drumroll please!!!

Julian has had a year of many changes, advances and challenges. When you have a child with special needs, keeping on top of evaluations is key as you especially want to make sure that they are in the appropriate class setting, receiving the right services. This year has proved to be a real challenge in getting Julian out of the door for school, to the dinner table, into the bathtub and into his pajamas, settling down for a book and well, you get the picture - pretty much anything that requires a transition of any sort.

So we saw his pediatric neurologist recently who seems to think our thoughts that Julian may have ADHD are pretty well founded. We asked for a referral to have him tested and at the same time have someone to talk to for both us and Julian to help us through these rough developmental patches.

Enter "Dr. Mark" whom Scissors and I met with this past Monday and now Julian and I met with today. Scissors is not as sold on the process as I am - something about psychobabble something or other. I always view things through the lens of humor. It's not that I don't take it seriously as I certainly think therapy is quite a valuable tool in helping cope with life stressors. I also find it full of infinite blog fodder. I just wish that I could sit there with a notepad and write down some of the funny exchanges. On the way to the office, Julian said in his little monotone "I know why we're going here - it's because of my behavior business last night."

I assured Julian his happiness and being able to talk about being angry and why were what Dr. Mark was going to help us with. He said that he might be shy and I assured him that was okay as I would be with him.

I'll skip the tete-a-tete of meeting Dr. Mark, but as we got down to brass tacks and playing with the therapist's favorite tool - the doll house, Julian made quick work of shoving many people into the house to watch TV. One TV wasn't enough - there had to be two so that he could watch Thomas and Spongebob! Then he described the people as lying down. The doctor then asked, "So Julian, the people are all just lying down and watching TV?"

I quickly wanted to yell out "Objection! Leading the witness!" but refrained. Julian couldn't have modeled one of our more admirable activities, like picking a Saturday Spin?

Not one to answer a question directly, Julian made the play more fanciful with horses and dogs taking up valuable couch space. The doctor asked Julian some other question which he responded with "Drumroll please!" So the doctor gave him a drum.

This continued with each response needing a drumroll preceding it. That is until Julian turned the tables and said "Now you're Julian." and began asking the same questions back to the doctor with the doc playacting along and Julian doing a not too bad imitation.

When it got down to Julian confessing to using bad words because Mommy did, I glanced at my watch to thankfully see time was indeed dwindling. The worst I've apparently said was shut up, which I'm not proud of, although I'm pretty sure I've never said it to him. I can't swear that I've never told Scissors the same in a heated moment. If I did, I apologize. I'm certainly not proud of this, but he could have credited me with worse.

So by the time we left the office, Dr. Mark had a clear picture of us as a family of foul mouthed laggards who lie about watching Spongebob and telling each other to shut up.

It could be worse, I imagine. I won't have to imagine, we'll be seeing Dr. Mark next week. Okay everybody, battlestations NPR!