It's been a month since I last posted. I've been busy, but with everything except art. Ugh.
School starts next week and my son will be starting high school. We haven't done much to get ready, distracted by time commitment to marching band. Our biggest challenge right now is that he wants to start high school without benefit of his ADHD medication. Last night he talked about how much he wants to feel "normal," which he says he doesn't feel if he needs medication. Typically Mom, I ran through the list of friends and family that all take medication for one thing or another, explained that he certainly doesn't have to share the information about his medication with anyone and pointed out that he wears glasses to "normalize" his sight, blah blah blah. I think that's what he hears. So I'm trying a new approach. I am trying so very hard not simply to dictate the decision, but talk with him about it, listen to his position and problem solve together. This is hard for me.
We will figure out techniques for improving his organizational skills to compensate for his terrible working memory. There is no medication for that problem. I'm still not convinced that ditching meds is the right thing to do, but I appreciate how much he has improved even when not on meds (as was the case all summer), and I appreciate his passion for his position. He's not bipolar or schizophrenic, just a spaz monkey. I'm reading books, blogs and web sites with information from every angle. I've talked with his doctor who tells me that kids CAN grow out of it, or adolescence can make it worse. Gee, thanks for the help. His advice has always been to just give it a try (going without meds) and see how it works. The notion of "giving it a whirl" is a little nerve wracking for me, although the beasty boy thinks it's a great idea.
Today I'll get some time in the studio with the music going to try to clear my head, get back on track and do some project planning. Maybe helping Kevin get more organized will help me too. I think back to my friend Leslie, a consultant at the hospital that offered a great seminar on getting organized, making deadlines and reducing distractions and stress. Sadly, I never really thought about applying those techniques at home. I think I'll start today. Step 1 - create a "to do" list of no more than three items. Have the list clearly visible. Every time I find myself distracted, return my attention to the list. As I complete something, check it off but do NOT add another item to the list until those things are done. There's no self-imposed deadline for completing the tasks. Step 2 - keep the work surface clear of everything but the thing on which I'm working. Clutter is distracting.
I can do this.
