ADHD

ADHD runs in my family. I have four brothers and sisters. All five of us have been diagnosed. So has my mother. There is no denying it is there. Every time someone tells me that its just kids being kids, it makes me  a little nuts. While part of that is true, most kids can sit still at school and get their work done, quietly, without bouncing out of their seat and irritating the hell out of the teacher. Most kids don't make you feel like a herd of elephants just stampeded the room. 

My 7 year old, who is in first grade, has been having some of these issues at school plus a lot more. He doesn't turn in his homework because:

1. He leaves it at home (it doesn't matter how many times we tell him to grab it, he will set it down somewhere other than IN his backpack and walk out the door without it.)

2. When he gets to school, he will forget to take it OUT of his backpack if mom or dad put it in there for him. 

or 3. He will lie about having it. (Later I will find it crumpled up somewhere.)

The worst is having to fight with him the 4 out of 5 days a week about doing it. He throws major tantrums because he doesn't want to do it. 

Lucky for us, we get to fight with him like this on everything he is supposed to be doing. It makes getting out the door in the morning really hard. Trust me.

Lately, he has even started lying to his teacher about doing work at school. He tells her he is finished with something when, in reality, he is not. 

Once the battle has been fought and mom and dad have won, L will sit at the table and throw tons of mini tantrums about not being able to think because some one breathed too loud or something. 

Now don't get me wrong, we have some easy days. Days where L will do all his homework without a whimper. Unfortunately, this miracle only happens about twice a month. 

L's teacher recently bombarded me in the bathroom (not kidding) to ask me to do something about L. He is too much to handle. Especially in a classroom with 20 other kids. So, I made an appointment with our pediatrician. We go in to see her on March 25. In the meantime, we (the teacher got one also) got to fill out some wonderful forms about L's behavior. I am almost certain he will be diagnosed with ADHD. 

I was able to talk to my 11 yr old brother recently about being on medication and what it was like. He said that things were a lot easier to do when he has taken his meds. He also said he is able to ACT like the person he feels like inside. Oh, and he gets in trouble less. 

I really wish I didn't have to go this route. I wish that everything was different right now. My dream is to homeschool him RIGHT now. I would take him away from all the teachers that are going to have a hard time with him and do all sorts of wonderful things with him. (I don't know what those "things" are yet, but we would do them.) Unfortunately, with everything else in life right now, I can't do this. I have to try and make the best decision I can for all of us. 

Maybe Hubby will be able to get work throughout the summer and things would lighten up for me. A lot could change over the summer. Or I can continue dreaming.