The joy of ADHD

As a teacher, I deal daily with the downside of ADHD. You know - the child who cannot stay in his seat. The child who talks constantly. The child who cannot finish anything you put in front of her.

As someone who has watched family members deal with this - as well as realizing finally that I have it myself, I have tried to tell students that there is also the side that gives you creativity, the ability to pivot from one idea to another.

I have recently had to deal with a death in the family - and packing up all the accumulation of a lifetime. As my sister and I packed up things - and cried - each of us would periodically pick something up and exclaim "I didn't know she had THIS" - a variation of oooh shiny. There is a joy in an affliction which distracts you when you need it.

[You have heard, haven't you, that they are renaming it ADOS instead of ADHD? You know, Attention Deficit Oooooo Shiney!]

My husband and I realized something when my oldest was first diagnosed. The psychiatrist would name something, we'd say "That's normal. I did that" and he'd smile sweetly and say "No, it's not normal. ADHD runs in families." Took us a while to figure out that our "normal" wasn't.