I’ve seen it so many times. We will be playing at a park, shopping in a store or at a school function and we see a child who is being a complete brat. The mom will flush and say something like, “He has ADHD.” Oddly enough, that same child will be seen eating junk food for lunch and is known for the ability to quote whole episodes of Transformers. Hello? If the kid really does have ADHD, why isn’t he on a restricted diet? Why is he obviously consuming way too much television, known to worsen ADHD symptoms?
I know why and so …read more

We used to have deep philosophical conversations in my high school Peer Leadership class. Sometimes, the teacher, Mr. Vaniman, would give a group of us a question to ponder and discuss. One of my favorites was, “How far would you be willing to go for a loved one?” Which meant, would you be willing to break the law, go against your morals or even turn against everyone you know to stand up for someone you love? It seems like an easy question, but there are so many situations in life that could possibly occur that the answers vary from one …read more

Do you have a child who is medicated for ADHD? Did you know that some doctors advise an occasional break from their medication? Many parents of children with ADHD are opting to keep their kids off of the medication during summer break. However, this is a matter that must be discussed with your pediatrician or family doctor before commencing. There are are some seriously freaky side effects that can occur if you just stop giving the medication to little Johnny, cold turkey. I learned this the hard way with my own son.
We decided to stop using medication to treat my son’s ADHD symptoms. …read more

My son has been different from my other children, all his life. Even as a baby, I would notice that he was difficult to calm, impulsive, hyperactive and very angry. I discussed these matters with the pediatrician, very early in his toddler years. He assured me that it was probably just normal boy characteristics. Being that my oldest was a girl and my youngest was an infant, I had no idea what to expect from a toddler boy. So I dismissed my worries and figured that things would change. They did not.

As some of you know, I have recently taken my son off of his ADHD medication. Many factors contributed to this decision, too many to get into now. However, we are doing other things to combat his ADHD symptoms. We are no longer bandaging the problem, rather, searching for answers as to the cause of his symptoms. It is not an easy task, to say the least. Gayla can testify to how exhausting it is to be the mother of a child with a disorder. We love our children, dearly. The things we do for them are labors of love, for sure. We …read more