23.5.11

Hear me out

I have a kindergartener with diagnoses of Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Explosive Disorder, ADHD, and a few others. When he first arrived, his mom tried to bring Seroquel and Clonidine in for him; I told her she'd need the doctor to fill out the appropriate paperwork in order for us to do that. Several weeks later, the paperwork arrived with a small hitch: the doctor wrote 1 p.m. for the Clonidine dose, and I knew mom had previously said 11 a.m. This was especially important in this case because as a kindergartener he departs the school at 11:30 a.m., so it meant the difference between us giving him the medication or not. I called the mom with the intention of clarifying what she wanted, thinking to myself I'd be okay with giving the dose at 11 a.m. if that's what mom has been doing and wanted to continue doing. When she answered the phone, I said that the doctor had written 1 p.m. and I recalled hearing her say 11 a.m. Before I was even able to finish my sentence - the one that would say we'll give it at 11 a.m. if she agreed to it - she cut me off and launched into an exasperated rant. "If you think I'm going to go back to Kaiser and have the doctor re-write that paperwork, that's ridiculous!" Etc. etc., it continued, her voice getting louder and continuing without even a break to take a breath. She hung up saying, "If my choices are to go re-do the paperwork or he won't get the medication, then he won't get the medication." Click. 

If she'd let me finish, she might have learned that wasn't the choice; instead, she decided it without knowing her options. Having been in this position for almost a full school year now, I'm tired of dealing with parents who are as atrocious as this one, and I wasn't about to call her back and tell her my offer. Yes, I feel a slight twinge of guilt as I think about the fact that since he's not going to be getting the medication at 11, and school is out at 11:30 anyway, it's his mom who will have to deal with the consequences - but c'est la vie. It still boggles my mind how awful some parents can be toward me, but I consider it a sign of growth that it doesn't rattle me like it used to. Now, I just sigh and move along with my day - it's nothing out of the ordinary anymore, however sad that is.

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