AF Daily - Monday June 6

[Lavande]

Good morning Abbers!

Appreciating a lovely Spring morning, sunny, birds chirping, the whole enchilada :H

Slept well last night after my weekend marathon chasing EB. He's a great exercise program

Time to get to work!
Wishing everyone a wonderful AF Monday!

Lav

[greeneyes]

AF Daily - Monday June 6

FABBIES!!

I slept hard last night too - right after you, Lav! :H I didn't make it though 10 minutes of masterpiece theatre.

Uni, I'm sure BF will turn around by Friday, but I know that attitude he gets sometimes must be painful for you :l (perhaps he needs one of my haircuts)

Jenny, I'm all for the approach you're taking! I did some research on the Feingold diet back a hundred years ago and most people poo-pooed him. I was so disgusted with the way they drugged my students - they would show up a lethargic, slurring, droopy eyed mess one day and NOBODY bothered to consult me, being probably the primary caretaker, about their behavior which I was able to control with behavior modification. I would demand a meeting after which they probably wanted to medicate ME. :H That said, I realize medication has it's place in some instances but should be a last resort.

Off to the river before it scorches up here!

[momof3]

AF Daily - Monday June 6

Good Morning All,

Just did a quick run through of the weekend's threads since I don't like to post unless I have an inkling of what is going on!!

I am so proud that everyone is staying AF, especially the NEWBIES. AWESOME job. Those initial days/months were tough for me but I found the more time and I experience I had being AF, the more I felt self confident and energetic.

Lav, Jenny, Greenie, and Det, One of the hardest decisions I had to make was to put my child on medication. It was not made lightly and after trying (and continuing) all options such GF/DF diet, therapy, brain gym, counseling, support groups, exercise, brain gym, yoga, vitamins, supplements, etc., we found that the medication was absolutely necessary for her. It is hard for me to hear when people make general statements such as "parents are too quick to medicate their children " (I know you didn't say that but I've heard that a lot) because believe me it is not easy to open up the pill bottle every day and hand them to her. And if she could get throught the day without them, I would certainly prefer her not to have them. I do think she has to take less than most with similar disorders since we do so many other things such as diet, etc. to support her. Just wanted to provide you with the perspective that although you may see some dramatic changes in some children with the approaches mentioned above, for others (particularly a child such as mine who has several co-occurring diagnoses), medication is needed too.

Well, it's my birthday today and I must get dressed for my outing with a dear friend.
We are going out to lunch in Georgetown and then a little shopping.

xxoo
M3

[papmom3]

AF Daily - Monday June 6

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFh-rX_Sfhs&feature=related[/video]]YouTube - ‪Chipmunks - Happy Birthday to You!!!‬‏

Happy Birthday M3-Enjoy your lovely day!!

(hint-if you try to watch the video via I.E. and it says you need to download Flash 10, try another browser. Safari worked for me)

[jennyneric]

AF Daily - Monday June 6

Good Morning Abbers!

Re: Medication. We have gone both ways. He was medicated on a very low (18mg Concerta) for 3 years and his teachers would as him " have you taken your medicine" every time he would act up so he started to really resent the meds. So last December we took him off of them and he is a happy kid now however he is not doing very well in school. School has always been a struggle weather medicated or not he is a very unconventional kid, you know round hole square kid, and he prides himself on being "different" so there are several issues here, oddly, least of which, in my opinion, is the medication. I think in middle school he will be more stimulated with the changing of classes and all that moving around that he attention span will get better because he won't be required to sit in one class as long. Only time will tell. All I know is that if it were me and I hated taking a pill that made me "sad" and "not myself" and my parent forced me to take it without listening to my concerns about what they were doing to my body and brain I would hate that person and the powerlessness I felt. I don't want to do that to my son.

Good discussion and debate! Love it!

Have a wonder un hung Monday!

[Lavande]

AF Daily - Monday June 6

:bday3: HAPPY BIRTHDAY M3!!!!!
Enjoy your day out

I feel extremely fortunate to have been able to handle my son's ADD issues without medication because that was my choice. But I'm sure I would have gone the medication route if nothing had else worked for him. I sure couldn't just let him flounder his way thru life. I developed telephone paranoia by the time he was in middle school. Every teacher called to complain about him. He was not especially disruptive in class. Their complaints were vague ~ 'he looks like he's not paying attention', that sort of thing but they all lectured me about putting him on meds. I had a friend in the 70's with 2 ADD kids who had some success with the Feingold diet so I decided to go that route & it was very helpful. It forced me to spend a good deal of time in the kitchen (making pancakes from scratch to avoid the preservatives in the the boxed mixes, making mayo from scratch, etc) but I would do it all again

I really need to get to work. Now I'm the one not focusing

[LVT25]

AF Daily - Monday June 6

Hello friends,

I should be out enjoying the nice cool morning continuing with the planting of the huge garden, but I overslept and am still tired. Ugh! I can't seem to get caught up on my sleep, that is why I hate to lose any of it!

I won't bore you with too many details, the the trip went really well after the initial catastrophe. Our bus was 3 hours late picking us up to take us to the Denver airport. We were to leave at 2 am and left at 5:15. The bus ride was rather scarey but he made up a little time, they held the plane, rushed us through security and we made it to DC right on schedule. Needless to say there were some grumpy passengers on the plane to greet us an all our luggage!

We saw some awesome sights! Some we had to simply rush through, but we knew that. We only lost one kid for a little bit and my MIL got turned around in the Smithsonian when it was time to leave for the Airport, but she found her way back just in time. It was rather frightening, because there were thousands of kids and adults in that place! No PA system, not medical aid station.

It was nice and hot! Perhaps a little too warm on Tuesday at 104 degrees. But the day we left it was gorgeous at the changing of the guards at Arlington. Beautiful warm weather here at home now too. Yay! Summer is finally here!

My son did ok while we were gone. I did subscribe to a locator program on our phones, which although rather unreliable-did catch him leaving my friend's house after curfew. When I asked he told the truth--I was a little stressed about it, but it is in the past thank you God. He was pretty proud of himself for taking care of things, and nothing bad happened so I guess that was my goal.

Last night, however, he found out that it is important to get home before curfew as he got picked up and given a sobriety check. He passed which really, really is a relief because he was at the lake all day with friends. The cops were checking everyone at the gate and he texted me and asked me what to do since he was already late. I told him to go ahead unless he had been drinking or something. He still waited for them to leave so I had to wonder. But they pulled him over anyway, he had a taillight out. I hope this taught him what I've been telling him all along. The midnight curfew is a law. I won't condone him breaking any laws.

I'd like to reiterate what mom3 said about kudos to all the sober abstainers!!! It's wonderful to see the progression to happy soberhood!

Pap--so sorry about the tornadoes in your area. A little out of touch with the news, we were in DC when it happened. Our tv at home is not working, no biggy for me, and it is kind of a blessing not to listen to the news every morning.

Just have to chime in quick on the ADD. Not all kids are the same when it comes to what treatment works and what doesn't. My son was diagnosed with the inattentive form of ADD just last December at age 16. Have you tried to regulate a teenagers diet and routine? When I asked our doc about that he said it would probably have little effect on him and would be extremely frustrating and stressful for me to try to get him to eat right and take supplements and get the right amount of sleep. So for us, one little tablet (3 times a day for him) was a miracle. The kid went from struggling to get organized, to getting his work done without any help from me. He had a 1.17 GPA first semester and finished with a 3.0. We did ask the doc to write the script for the cheap generic Ritalin but we are pretty excited about Concerta becoming available as a generic this year.
I also really notice a difference in his behavior-this summer being off the meds.
One thing that really stuck with me that the doctor said when we asked him about the side effects and the concern about medicating him. He said at least 50% of the people with ADD that DO NOT get treatment end up with addictions to alcohol and/or drugs. Because they are self-medicating. So, just remember, everyone is different.

Ok, I better get busy. I have lots and lots of catching up to do this week. Have a great sober one all!:h

[LVT25]

AF Daily - Monday June 6

Geesh! I missed that it is your birthday, mom3! Have a wonderful day! I thought about you a lot on our trip--maybe someday I'll come back and you can show me around!!:l:h

[LVT25]

AF Daily - Monday June 6

Jenny and Lav--great points and what great moms! There are so many kids out there that their parents couldn't give a hoot if they even go to school! Hard to imagine.
A book I really liked was "A Bird's Eye View" of life with ADD and ADHD. Advice from young survivors. You might want to check it out Jenny. These kids talk about what worked for them and what didn't--many had to try lots of different meds, combinations of meds, for others no meds. I do think it is important to help them learn to organize themselves.
My son's teachers never picked up on the ADD--just thought he was lazy and unmotivated. We were told for years how smart he is, he just won't apply himself. He started to believe it because there was no other explaination. He has some teachers now that really don't agree with the meds thing. There is a lot of stigma attached to the meds and the condition, and unfortunately people have abused it. Our school nurse has to count his meds because some parents fill the script and then take it themselves. SAd.

Ok, I really have to go now.

[momof3]

AF Daily - Monday June 6

LVT, Glad you had a great trip and all worked out well. Perhaps next time, I can show you a personal tour of DC!!

Jenny, It sounds like you made a great decision with your son about not continuing with the meds, especially since he does not want to take them. My daughter, on the other hand, willingly takes her meds because she has such a hard time getting through the day without them. But, we're not just talking about ADHD here. She has Asperger's, ADHD, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. She has sensory sensitivity to noise, touch, and some forms of artificial light that cause her extreme anxiety and stress. She can become so overwhelmed that she will literally find a corner and curl up in a ball.

Lav, I can really relate to the "telephone paranoia." I used to brace myself every time the phone rang. We switched her to a small private school for the middle school years and it has been really great for her. They use a multiple intelligences approach to learning and have a strong art and drama program. The money is killing us though but the peace of mind we have is priceless.

Birthday lunch was great. Now I'm off to spend a little money!!

[universal]

AF Daily - Monday June 6

Happy Birthday M3!!! Thanks for all the support guys, I got it figured out. There is a train that goes where I am headed (4 hours away) so I spoke with the treatment centre and am going Thursday instead of Friday. They are going to pay for me to stay in a hotel on Thursday night and then come pick me up Friday to check me in. I'm not worried about the hotel stay because they pee test you as soon as they check you in and if there is anything in you they won't admit you. And i need this program. So I'm pretty sure I will just have a hot tub, a cup of tea and go to bed early.

As of Wednesday I will have no access to email or anything for 5 weeks, so thing good thoughts for me because I won't be able to check in. But I'll be thinking of all of you. I'll still check in tomorrow and Wednesday morning.

Love you guys.

[Determinator]

AF Daily - Monday June 6

Quick check in from my phone at a trade show. Happy af'ing one and all

Yes its difficult to control a childs diet but my personal opinion is that its
Our duty to do so anyway. By allowing a childs brain and body to be distorted by toxins is paving the way for a lifetime of disease and disorders. If after fixing the diet problems persist then
Of course meds can be a huge relief. There is a very real and frightening link between childhood sugar consumption and subsequent alcoholism. I hope this doesnt come across as
Condescending. I really have the best intentions for you all and your loved ones.
Xxxx

[momof3]

AF Daily - Monday June 6

papmom3;1126573 wrote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFh-rX_Sfhs&feature=related[/video]]YouTube - ‪Chipmunks - Happy Birthday to You!!!‬‏

Happy Birthday M3-Enjoy your lovely day!!

(hint-if you try to watch the video via I.E. and it says you need to download Flash 10, try another browser. Safari worked for me)

Awwwwwh!!! Thanks P3. I LOVE those little chipmunks.

[greeneyes]

AF Daily - Monday June 6

HAPPY BIRTHDAY M3!!!

[greeneyes]

AF Daily - Monday June 6

Good to have a plan, uni! Have a good book?