The Art Stayed

Rose was home bound several times during her twelve years of public school.  It was during these periods that we saw her academic struggles up close.

She would go from knowing her multiplication tables to not remembering them, but the art stayed.

Rose could spell words one week and forget them the next, but the art stayed.

She would read a story and forget the names of the main characters, but the art stayed.

When everything else seemed to be flushed from her brain by seizures and side effects, she could still mix a perfect flamingo pink paint and create beauty with her shaky hands.

There were times when we gave up on academics and just did art.

When nothing would go in, the art still came out.

Her teachers were understanding through these roller coaster rides.

When she was stuck in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit for days at a time, Rose made hotmats. She asked the healthcare workers which colors they wanted and custom made them for people. It was a great way to keep her busy. The nurses and staff thought it was super cute.

When the academic struggles get to be too much for your child,

draw their spelling words, make a math collage, make up a story…

Sometimes it is better to pause than to pass.

Seizure Mama speaks to parents:

I am a former teacher. I knew how important it was for Rose to not fall behind in school.  I also knew how unimportant it was for Rose to fall behind in school.

While she was home bound in grades 3 and 4, her teachers and I refused to frustrate her by pushing the curriculum. One of her teachers said it was like trying to teach a blind person colors.

We worked to keep her moving forward in any way that worked. Art always worked. It was also a way to reassure all of us that Rose was still in there, through all the seizures and side effects.

They could have been terrible times, but we did not let them be terrible. Sometimes you have to let go of the agenda and go with the flow.

Seizure Mama/Flower Roberts

Epilepsy Blog Relay Post: June 23, 2019