For years now I’ve shut my eyes to the reality of my first born. My wife will tell you that I blacked out the entire 2nd year of his life; it was my own PTSD, I suppose. He is a great kid. He is bright, energetic, and excited about everything he does. He is also prone to explosive crying fits and bouts of sheer mania. Even then I didn’t want to see what that could mean. Finally, tonight I watched the boy move from activity to activity so quickly that it made me nauseous. If he was unoccupied for more than 50 seconds (I actually timed the pauses) he started to whine uncontrollably until he found the next thing to do.
My son has the makings of a good ADHD case. He has not been formally diagnosed, because I dread taking him to a doctor whose only recommendation will likely be to put the boy on drugs for the rest of his life. I don’t want to drug him. I want to manage the disorder.
At some point you have to accept that the people you love are flawed. You have to deal with those flaws with all the nurturing and love that you can. But sometimes what doctors call flaws are merely other ways of expressing yourself, and in the case of my boy, a near endless supply of nervous energy. So, what do you do with that? I refuse to believe that ADHD is a crippling disorder. I believe it is a strength in the right setting. On the other hand, it is terribly difficult to manage as a parent.
Every week I find myself researching something new and interesting. This week’s research will be dedicated to understanding how to care for a child with ADHD.