Well, the battle rages on. After negotiating what I thought was an incredibly fair agreement on Internet access time, Dad came in and blew the whole thing away in one fell swoop by cutting the agreed-upon time in half. Made for some interesting fireworks last night and they’re still smoldering. Even the pug knows better than to get on the other side of the fence in this argument. Argggggggh!
“Sticks” is becoming incredibly popular with his “Seniors of Note”, who are lobbying to get him out of school early on Tuesdays when it’s back in session so his gig won’t end so soon. That much is really gratifying….he’s rapidly learning the value of their experience and background in many different ways. Maybe I should just step back and let them slap him around when he steps outa line.
On more positive notes, I’ve been thinking a lot about the connection between giftedness and ADHD as an answer to the behavior issues that exist whether or not medications are part of the picture. In a different world, would ADHD even be considered a disability? When was it that we decided that a person with high energy and intelligence was somehow disabled because he/she couldn’t sit in a seat for 10 minutes? Have our school systems dumbed themselves down to the point where the only options are mediocrity or medication?
There’s no question that in our case we are dealing with giftedness and ADHD, and that the medications have enhanced his ability to use the gifts he’s been given. But I wonder how many kids are really being given that ADHD label when they’re really just bored, gifted kids with more capacity for learning and exploration than they’re offered in the school environments. My daughter, for example, has been tested and passed the “giftedness” exams they administer in our school district. She fits the “good student” mold — the child who learns quickly, sits in her seat and doesn’t disrupt the class when she’s bored. A, on the other hand, was always the one to start an uproar when he was done…and consequently, was denied that “gifted” designation until he reached his sophomore year of high school and the teachers actually SAW that he rose to the challenge of whatever they gave him. Amazing.
As for me, I believed myself to be the most uncreative person on the planet until after I was diagnosed and put on meds. I couldn’t finish anything, didn’t get motivated, and had to REALLY like what I was doing to get involved in it. Some of that is still true, but I certainly finish more than I leave now, though I do tend to jump around inside different areas of interest. Lately it’s been photography. A good digital camera and photo editing program are creative miracles. Of course, it always helps to have good subjects around to photograph.
Yesterday’s sunset was definitely a good time to be creative….here’s one to end on:
