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I have the utmost of empathy for a neighbor of mine who I do not know. All I know about her and her family is this: Their lawn is rarely mowed before it is well over ankle-deep, their shutters are in bad need of paint, and their gutters are clogged and rusted. And I know that everyday the special education bus pulls up to her house and picks up her son. He walks out and gets on…he has a hidden disability.
I’ve never met this woman, but I feel her pain. I totally understand how these details of her house here in suburbia, where the manicured lawns and well-kept landscapes are expected, get easily overlooked.
Life for parents of special kids is overwhelming. Ok, you say, life for all parents is overwhelming at times. And I would agree. Before LuLu, I had many overwhelming days as the parent/stepparent of three healthy kids. But it isn’t the same.
Last week, our local phone company (aka the Evil Empire) called to offer me DSL service at a significant discount to my current (soon to be ex) provider. I asked the salesman point blank if accepting the email outlining the plan was actually committing to the service, as I wanted to look at the terms, but not authorize the switch. He flat out lied to me. (Yes, I know this is against some law some where.)
What happened next was a series of events that within 4 hours my DSL was shut off and I spent more than half the next day on the phone with my provider trying to figure things out. Then it took me another day to get the phone company to cancel their DSL order I didn’t make. So, I did what any person with a marketing degree and fervent belief in free market would do, I called the cable company and ordered not only their internet service, but their phone service too! (And upgraded the cable, much to our children’s delight!) Overall, I’m saving us about $50 a month.
But, lest you think that me, stressed-out mom and consumer in-the-right won this battle, think again! First off the current DSL provider socked me with an $80 contract cancellation charge (even though I’ve used their service for the last 10 years) because last April we ordered a new modem from them because we were having so much trouble staying connected. And the Evil Empire (aka, the local phone company), in a very passive-aggressive move, decided not to release my phone number in the expected 5 business days, because (as their customer care…yea right…representative explained) by law they can take 10 business days. So the installation of my cable is delayed until next week. Meanwhile, this blog is coming to you via dial up! UGH!
Now, I know what you’re thinking. This type of stuff, as crazy as it is, can happen to anyone. True. But, usually that person has the emotional and physical reserves to deal with the added stress. I’m not so sure I do. I’m exhausted from over an hour of “expressing” my dissatisfaction to these various companies, and I got no where. In the perfect world, I would figure out which state agency to contact and likely call a local media consumer advocate. Stealing my DSL and then starting this chain reaction of hassle isn’t right.
But, when I drove by my neighbor’s house tonight, her mailbox had fallen over. Hey, it’s good to know I’m not alone. And I realized that if you’re parenting a special kid…you’ve got more important things (your kids) to fight the establishment for!
Want more information on coping with stress? Check out this article.
AMEN!!!!!! I don’t have much energy for anything anymore.