For those of you who are unaware, "the boy" in the family has ADHD. He was diagnosed last year in 2nd grade. It was not a big surprise, we have been watching the systems get worse for awhile. He inherited it from his daddy so we knew what to watch for. I am actually glad that my husband has it as well. I am glad that they can relate to each other. When "the boy" lays awake at night till 2am and can't seem to turn his mind off, I am glad that Bruce is able to say to him "I know how you feel" (while I am sleeping soundly in the next room).
It was very frightening to watch "the boys" grades at school get worse and worse. And to watch him start to lose friendships because it seemed like all the other little boys just couldn't keep up with him. He would get angry when they didn't understand the convoluted games he made up or the fact that he wanted to ride his bike off the side of a enormous hill. I was scared that the doctor wouldn't think it was ADHD, and what did that leave us with? I knew he was smart and very creative. I wanted everyone else to see it too.
We started him off on a low dose of medicine and changed some habits at home, making things more scheduled for him. It has help enormously! His grades has come way up, his teachers have told us "whatever you are doing, keep it up!" and he gets along better with his friends and family. I am so grateful that I didn't ignore the problem or ride him off as just a bad student. I am totally impressed with his love of reading. When he finished his Fablehaven book I told him we would go to the book store and pick out any book he wanted. He picked Diary of a Wimpy Kid and finished it in one day, then asked to go back to the bookstore. I told him we would get him a library card instead :)
"The boy" received his bobcat the other day at scouts. Not too hard to accomplish, but there was some memorizing that I don't think he could have done before we got him help. We painted his face to celebrate the event.
Me and my boy holding his bobcat award at pack meeting.
I'm so proud of him. It is not just the medicine. He knows he has this little problem and has worked hard to over come it. He is doing a great job!