It's surprising to believe that it's been two years since I started this blog. So many elements have changed in my life since this blog was started which resulted in reduction of my post frequency. It is not that I had not wanted to write, it was a matter of schedule. I've realized more lately that since I started writing a few years ago, writing is a part of me and I must incorporate it in my life just as much as what I do for my family. This is something that I must do for myself, for my sanity, for my soul. I renew this journey with this post.Once again the topic of ADHD has come close to home. As with many unfamiliar topics, I've spent many hours researching to learn as much as I can for an informed understanding. Much of this research has been online medical based articles, but some were on forums. I've also had direct conversation with parents of children diagnosed with this condition and some that have not. From this research, I learned the heart behind this condition.
There are some who believe that this condition does not exist, that this is just children behaving normally, or acceptable teenage behavior that they'll grow out of it, or adults that should know better. 'Parents just want to drug their children because they don't want to do what is necessary to be parents.' 'It's just "boys being boys"'. To this group, I hope you are right if your child exhibits this behavior. I hope you have not missed an opportunity to treat your child offering them a calmer, more focused life.
There are those who believe that the condition exists, but won't allow pharmaceutical treatment for fear of the propaganda that's been spread of the side effects. To this group I understand your feelings as I too have heard them and drawn fear. I could never watch my child walk around scrawny and in a doped daze. But as with most medications, there are side effects. Some are temporary and others are persistent. As many do with pain and allergy medicine, when one doesn't work as effective or have undesirable side effects, we try another.
There are also those to choose to seek a positive solution by any means available, including pharmaceutics. To this group, I do not believe pharmaceutics would be your first choice of a solution nor even your second. I believe you would have tried many means of behavior adjustment, such as scolding, removal of favorite entertainment, bribery, counseling, home remedies, and even ignore in hopes it would go away.
And there are those who are a mixture of any of these.
In any case, I don't see how one can stand in judgment of another without being in their situation. Being able to see they one face the daily battle of completing the simplest of tasks? Being there to watch a child call oneself 'STUPID' for not being able to grasp skills mastered by others and for making impulsive actions knowing later that it should not have been done. I can understand how a parent watching their child's grades and self-esteem exponentially decrease would try any means available to help their child. I know living this would break my heart.
For those who pass judgment of others' methods, I hope you will take the time to understand them.
