Easier Days With ADHD

Wasn't it just yesterday that our home was filled with chaos & confusion? Seems that way, but in the past year every week has become easier than the previous one. Few tools & treasures have been torn or broken & nothing is missing. It's positively miraculous. There was a time not that long ago when everything looked very bleak. Bobby's behavior was a challenge not only daily but moment-by-moment. He high-energy boy bent on destruction & nobody could stop him. I looked around and saw few children who matched his naughtiness and I was a broken-hearted mom, seeing no way out of this darkness.

 

When he was 2 I figured when he turned 3 he'd grow out of some of the terrible behavior, since he'd be out of those infamous "terrible twos." Then I expected change with the 4th birthday, 5th birthday, 6th....and so on. As he approached 9 & 10 I began to believe this was never going to turn around & that we were on a long dark path. No longer was I expecting to see that "better year" ahead. And then we hit 11. Our world began to change. Bobby became more mature & the sunshine poked it's way through those dark storm clouds. There's nothing in me that believes there was a "cure" out there for our boy but rather a collection of contributing factors. Just in case another parent is overwhelmed in adhd-land:

 

1) Lots of love (though not always patience as this isn't easy to be 100% patient with)

2) Parent/child hobbies done together

3) Outdoor exercise together--sports, hiking, biking, kayaking, swimming

4) Medication adjustments as needed

5) Supportive family and friends who show kindness & love to our boy!

6) 7 months ago- drastic steps taken to reduce and eliminate soda, sugar, processed foods, oils & artificial ingredients from our diet. Adding daily helpings of fresh dark green veggies and lots of other fruits and vegetables. Our whole family does this so there's no feeling of "I can't eat what everyone else gets."

7) Consistency in discipline & routine.

 

As a teacher, I see an incredible increase in adhd labels today. Do we accept the labels and go no further? Definitely not. We owe it to these high-needs kids to find out what triggers their behavior and what helps it. Combining many interventions will likely see improvements in a good share of these great kids. Bobby will probably always be high-energy but for today we're pretty thrilled that  he's growing in positive ways!