Queen of the Distracted

Imagine life in a house with 6 kids - now imagine if 5 of those kids and their father have ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) - that is our house! Welcome to an inside view of my life and our home dominated by ADHD... THERE IS NEVER A DULL MOMENT!

Ladies and Gentlemen! Boys and Girls!

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls!"

Those were our oldest daughter Rachel's first words, from the time she was a toddler she would belt them out proudly standing on the arm of the couch. At the time we had no idea what ADHD was or that it would play such a central roll in our lives.

Since then we have learned a lot, not the least of which is how many individuals and families suffer in silence. We have experienced first hand how misunderstood and misrepresented a disorder can be.

As a family we decided to take action - to risk embarrassment and labeling to get this important message out to the world. Come join our family, share in our lives, and see ADD/ADHD as we see it...
A gift with a heavy price tag.

WELCOME to life in the ADD/ADHD House!

Friday, May 13, 2011

Seveny, Seventy, Seventy-Five Pounds!

There is a new song ringing through the halls of our home.  A song of excitement, accomplishment, and pure joy!  

Seventy five pounds, I am seventy five pounds!
Seventy five pounds, I am seventy five pounds!
Seventy -- seventy -- seventy five pounds...EX-ACT-LY!


This should be compared to the 71.4 pounds he was just a couple of weeks ago.  Maybe he was right.  Maybe that gigantic Superior Dairy ice cream really was just what he needed (see Space Dirt, Politics and Life ).  One thing for sure, that 75 pounds has definitely been worked for.

I am afraid that our boys struggles in this particular area may be our fault as parents.  At my tallest I was barely 5 feet 2 inches tall.  My husband is easily 6 feet 3 inches tall.  When we were engaged and first married we used to joke about having tall girls and short boys.  That is not nearly as funny as it used to be. 

Hunter has always been just a few steps ahead of his younger brother in height, sometimes barely an inch.  Both have been on the small side.  Right now, Hunter is 4 feet 7.5 inches and Jaren is 4 feet 6 inches.  While he loves his brother, you can see him deflate when people ask him if they are twins.  Just about everyone asks him if they are twins.

As a parent you worry for your kids.  So, I have read the studies about ADHD boys and growth.  Done my praying for forgiveness, "Really it was just a joke...short girls and tall boys are fine.  Or just make them tall.  I could carry a step stool around so we can see eye to eye when I give them a learning experience."  I have held out hope that, like the studies indicate, in the end they will be close to, if not as tall as their adult male counterparts.  They dipped so heavily in their father's end of the gene pool with everything else, there has to be height in there somewhere.


In the end, nothing is more satisfying than buying several pairs of new shoes every month or two, because his feet are growing.  Disproportionally big feet, long apes arms, lanky legs, for right now he is growing like an animated character, one awkward stage at a time.  But he is finally growing!  I can totally deal with hearing the 75 Pound song over and over again. 

You might even catch me singing it myself..."Seventy-five pounds, he is seventy-five pounds!"

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