Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/high-maintenance-parent-or-parent-partner-working-with-a-parents-concern/5015216/
Barbara is excited because for the first time since she has been the director at Happy Hollows Children's Center *, she has the opportunity to include a child with Down syndrome. Drew, who is three, will start in two weeks. This is the first time they have had a child with these kinds of challenges, and when Barbara consults with the staff, some express reservations. She is pleased, though, that overall she gets a sufficiently positive response to feel confident.The problem is that when Barbara brought up the subject at a parent meeting, Candace, typically one of the most enthusiastic and supportive parents in the program, reacted negatively. She said little but Barbara picked up some feelings. Candace didn't make an issue of her response; in fact probably few people noticed it, but Barbara did.
Now it is the next morning and Barbara isn't surprised to find Candace waiting outside the office when she arrives at work. Candace shifts her weight from one foot to the other while Barbara unlocks the door, takes off her coat, and invites her to sit down. Candace sits briefly, but then gets up and starts pacing the floor.
"Coffee?" asks Barbara. Candace rejects the offer, waits ...