Another Label for One of My Children

Recently, our daughter was given a diagnosis of ADD, or Attention Deficit Disorder. I must say that, as a parent who's never really believed that so many children could really have this, I was a little discouraged. Yet, I also admit to a tiny bit of relief.

I have always kind of thought, in the back of my mind, that many ADD cases could be controlled by behavioral and/or dietary measures. I certainly assumed that the ones whose diets consisted primarily of sugars and preservatives were those that would benefit from a healthy diet and some decent rules to live by. The other portion, I figured, were the true issues that really did exist and ultimately required more than just good discipline.

As the doctor was explaining the different options for medication, I was thinking how against drug therapy I am. I remember the horror stories of other parents--where their child became listless, lost weight, lost their personality... I just couldn't imagine changing the spunky, witty, sweet little girl that often melts your heart and blesses you with the need to laugh.

I have to admit that this diagnosis explained a lot of things. It explained the years of forgetfulness, the major lack of focus, and the inability to follow multi-step directions. That's where the bit of relief came in...

In kindergarten, I thought that the teachers were overreacting when they would complain to me about her inability to sit through group activities, and her interruptions while someone else was talking. Because she was (is) so bright, I just couldn't believe they could be so irritable with a 5 yr. old about these things. I thought she was probably bored, being that she was a bit on the smart side.

After that, I decided to home-school my school-aged children. Yes, she frustrated the heck out of me sometimes. I just thought it was because I was her mother, therefore was more prone to feel irritation with her than a teacher would be. I figured she was just more defiant with me than she would be at school.