What to do all summer

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

My son Owen will be 5 in a few weeks. He was diagnosed with mild AS

last May and has been in an integrated preschool from 8:30-1:30 5

days a week all year, and then has spent his afternoons at a daycare

center with his younger brother. The daycare center is a good one,

but a big one - he's been going there since he was 2 so they know him

and our family very well and do what they can to help. Spending a few

hours each afternoon there isn't usually a problem, but when he is

there for a full day he tends to have problems. His teachers try to

help, but sometimes he'll be fine and play with others, sometimes

he'll pull away and be alone all day and sometimes he'll lash out at

the other kids unprovoked.

We have been trying for months to find a nanny to watch our two kids

all summer, but have had no luck. We can't afford the $16 an hour

most " professional " nannies are asking for, and the ones who

responded to our ads just weren't a good fit. There were two we

almost hired who both backed out - one because she's allergic to cats

and the other because she wanted to get paid for a 5-day week and

only work four! Incredible.

So now we are in a bind. Owen will be in a summer program for six

weeks that will run the same hours as his preschool program does now,

so he'll be set for most of July and part of August. But there will

be a two week gap at the beginning and the end of the program where

we are going to have to send him to daycare all day, 5 days a week,

and I " m terrified for him. I don't want to knowingly send him

someplace that upsets him but I " m not sure what else to do.

My husband and I go back and forth on this. Sometimes - especially

when he has good days there, and he does have them - we think it's

good for him to be ina situation where he has to be social. But when

he has bad days we just feel like awful, awful parents.

Any advice?