Re: The entirely optional "Lets say 10 nice things about Septics" thread
 

Is it working? What reactions or what made get them checked out? I know when i was a kid it was just kids were hyper!!!

Now its medication and the name is coming up more more in Europe. My sister never gave my nephew MILK! Is Diet really a big factor.

Re: The entirely optional "Lets say 10 nice things about Septics" thread
 

It's hard to answer all those questions without writing a book, but the short answer is yes, it's working. My son is almost 14 and will be a freshman in high school next year. His grades are great and will be taking some honors classes in the fall, but I am under no illusion that he could have come this far without medical intervention. He is the one who has the highest physical activity levels and always did. I work in education and recognized the symptoms in him very early, but at that time (early to mid-90s) doctors were much more hesitant to prescribe a medication unless the child had trouble in school, so he was formally diagnosed when he was six.

I have two other children who are fraternal twin daughters. One of them is diagnosed and the other is not. They are 10 and a half. The daughter with ADHD is mildly affected in comparison to her brother, so she is on a different medication and an extremely low dose. This has been enough to effectively deal with her symptoms and keep her doing extremely well in school also. In fact, both of the girls were invited to take an achievement test that is geared four years above their grade level, so we're doing something right here. :) Again, I don't think that she would be as successful in school if it weren't for the medication.

Just to reiterate-----the medication option is a process, not an event. Not all children respond positively to all meds, and certainly not at all doses. It's a process to find the right one at the right dose---one that will be effective in helping the behaviors but also just enough to do so. If a child is effectively medicated, they will still need outside help----organizational tools, routine, clear and consistent expectations, lists, etc. etc. etc. and should never, ever, appear "drugged out" or "like a zombie" which is a term I've heard used. Luckily, my children have had little to no side effects once we found meds. that were properly balanced.

We have worked with a very competent neurologist over the years who listened to me and was willing to try several different things before we settled on what seems to work the best for each of them. That may change as they hit adolescence and start to metabolize differently. We've talked as a family at great length about what ADD or ADHD is and what it isn't---they have been taught to use outside organizational tools to help them cope, which just makes sense to me even if your child does not have it.

As far as diet goes, one theory (and the one I happen to subscribe to being the parent of my particular children) is that even though nutrionally not so great, sugar and pop does NOT cause kids with ADHD to be more hyper---in fact, the opposite might even be true as caffeine is a stimulant and might mimic the effect of an ADHD medication. Many children have sensitivities to junk food, sugar, additives, etc. Both of my twins were on prescription formula due to a digestive difficulty (and before anyone reading this brings in the breastfeeding factor, let's just say I've had that discussion on this board before and don't care to go there again :) )

I know as a parent of kids with ADHD, there have been some people who have told me that it's simply "bad parenting" or "lenient parenting". Anyone who really knows how I parent my kids would laugh at that statement in regard to what happens in our house. :) But, comments like those do make it harder for those of us who have kids with it---it's hard enough without being made to feel it is somehow "your fault". Luckily the meds and our household routine have had an extremely positive impact on my kids' success and I can use my own experience with parents when students of mine exhibit behaviors that are worrying.

Bet you wish you hadn't asked, eh? :)

~SecretGarden

Re: The entirely optional "Lets say 10 nice things about Septics" thread
 

No, that's hairspray. Everyone in my neighbourhood uses tons of it, their hair doesn't move in a gale. It must seep through their scalp and have a calming effect.

Re: The entirely optional "Lets say 10 nice things about Septics" thread
 

I think it's the couple of glasses of Merlot they down before getting in the carpool line. :o

~SecretGarden

Re: The entirely optional "Lets say 10 nice things about Septics" thread
 

:rofl: luv it!

Re: The entirely optional "Lets say 10 nice things about Septics" thread
 

OMG the carpool lane. That has a set of rules all of it's own which I was completely oblivious of at first.

Re: The entirely optional "Lets say 10 nice things about Septics" thread
 

Ha! If you actually have "rules" for your carpool line, you've got an advantage. I'm lucky enough to work at a school that gets out earlier than the ones my kids attend, so I'm in it every day, stuck between Mercedes and Hummers that are double and triple parked because the soccer moms who are driving and talking on the phone (probably planning their next vacation to Cancun) can't seem to understand that it's a LINE, not a BLOB.

:D
~SG

Re: The entirely optional "Lets say 10 nice things about Septics" thread
 

Ours is a very strict line. All Hummers and Mercs, lots of lipstick, hairspray and cell phones, often a small dog on their lap (:blink: ). But cut in front at your peril.

Re: The entirely optional "Lets say 10 nice things about Septics" thread
 

Yep, small yapper-type dogs, and always wearing white capri pants if it's March 15th or after. :rolleyes:

I once sat behind a Hummer/Boxster combination (with the license plate "Becsbox") for literally 10 minutes while they talked through their windows at one another, and one of them actually had her kid pass a bottle of ketchup to the other lady through the window. What the hell.

I can see why many of the posters on this thread struggled to come up with 10 nice things to say about my countrymen (and women).
:(
~SG

Re: The entirely optional "Lets say 10 nice things about Septics" thread
 

That happens in my neighbourhood. Two cars comming in oppsite directions will stop and the drivers will hold a conversation regardless of who is behind them. It is very bad neighbourhood etiquette to try and pass or beep the horn...as I've discovered. You have to sit and wait. Often it doesn't really bother me but my OH nearly has a stroke.

Re: The entirely optional "Lets say 10 nice things about Septics" thread
 

Carnage at ours! Prestige points are gained by cutting- hence the popularity of Hummers. Call out to their kids to cross in front of the traffic - screeching insults and "finger" at anyone who objects. Dog on lap and cellphone go without saying.

Re: The entirely optional "Lets say 10 nice things about Septics" thread
 

Isn't life wonderful? You couldn't make it up.

Re: The entirely optional "Lets say 10 nice things about Septics" thread
 

you've obviously not tried our local Target then

Re: The entirely optional "Lets say 10 nice things about Septics" thread
 

No. I'm too busy shopping til I drop in my own Target but it's very quiet in there. They are all in yours.