Seven Days

We are only seven days into the new school year and we've already had two more hurdles.

N's new P.E. teacher offered an "optional" BMI test. I don't know what N was thinking when he agreed to do it. He said that he was "curious." N guessed at his weight (because he still doesn't know what it is) and calculated a guessed fat percentage. N protested that it hadn't bothered him, but then confessed this morning that it was causing him stress. Hopefully lesson learned.

His 9th grade Biology class did a nutrition lab yesterday. They read labels, discussed fat content, and determined which cereals and candy bars were the healthiest. N worked through the cereal page and then refused to do the rest. He came home emphatic that he (or I) needed to let his teacher know how wrong he was, that there aren't "bad" foods and that people just needed to eat a variety. I'm glad that some things have sunk in for N. I couldn't even begin to explain all of the varied nuances and approaches that can be emphasized for different medical conditions. Really these nuances are irrelevant for N right now. It's better for him to have blinders on and just focus on how HE needs to deal with food.

I sent an email off to the teacher asked for a replacement assignment and explained why this one was so difficult. I encouraged N to also talk to his teacher (but knew that I needed to be the official word). The teacher was fantastic, waived the assignment, and agreed to try and be aware of future topics that could be difficult. Besides being clueless about eating disorders and problematic approaches to health, N's teachers have all been great about adapting and adjusting curriculum for him.