Why I Changed My Life - part 1

Hi all, it's a while since I've been here and I have loads of news.

I completely changed my life. It was time. I've been wishing and waiting for years for things to happen. I put all the right things in place, but I was still stuck where I was. It came to the point where if I didn't DO something, I was going to be STILL stuck where I was in another five years time.

Life is way too short.

What I am talking about, is that I was trying to move away from the suburbs (and a very difficult ex) out to the country. I've always been a country girl and I've been stuck in the suburbs in a housing commission house for the last 15 years.

I was grateful for my house, don't get me wrong, but there was so many painful memories there, plus the maintenance on the property was pretty much non-existent and it was really showing.

Things came to a head when my son (15) who has autism, adhd and an intellectual disability was bullied at his special school. The bullying went on for months, in 6 months I contacted the school in his diary, by phone or in person MORE THAN 16 times, and nothing changed.

I was given answers like, "why doesn't your son take public transport instead of the school bus?" It was easier for them to suggest moving my son off the school bus than deal with the pack of bullies who traumatized him relentlessly almost every day.

He was punched, kicked, shoved, given a black eye, punched in the head, bruised on his arms and legs, had food thrown at him, called names, spat on and more. This happened on the school bus and in the playground. I saw and photographed the bruises.

One afternoon when I was waiting to speak to his teacher over another incident, one of the bullies walked right past my son IN FRONT OF ME and called him a fuckwit!! I was stunned.

His teacher didn't believe him and said things like "M is a crybaby and goes home telling his mum stories."
"M is having a bad day today because he's off his medication," to another teacher in front of the whole class.

At the second last meeting with the school vice principal I was promised that my son would be moved to another class away from that teacher, the bullies would be dealt with, and that my sons school diary would be returned to him. His teacher comveniently lost it when I started making a fuss. All the evidence of all the bullying incidences was in that diary. I had proof that I had TOLD her all those times. It was never found.

A week later I went back to the school ready for my son to start back in a new class, (he'd been sick for a week with another dose of the flu, he was continually getting sick from all the stress) and when I met up with the vice principal to find out which new class my son was going into, NOTHING HAD BEEN DONE!!!!

He had done nothing, no new class, no dealing with the bullies, no sorting out the school bus bullying!!

I remained calm and walked out of that school with my son and vowed to NEVER go back!

My complaint letter to the Education Dept is in progress, but I've heard dozens of other stories where they don't really give a damn and other parents are even sueing after their children suicided.

My son talked of suicide too, from that day he never set foot in that school again.

DISGUSTED is not a strong enough word.

HOW can this happen in this day and age with all the school bullying policies that are out there now?? How come children and teenagers are DYING because they can't cope anymore?? Why are teachers, principals and other professionals not listening to our kids?? What the hell is WRONG with the system??

So it came time to make some big decisions, it was time to move and begin a new life away from the stress and the heartache.

To be continued.....