Day 1

I finally figured out why I have been such a spotty blogger for the past couple of years. When I was in law school and studying for the Bar Exam, I had something to write about. I had a problem and goals to accomplish. Once I was hooded, passed the Bar and had my license, there was less to write about. Being a mom and an attorney isn't as hard as being a student and a mom. There was no longer a "big thing" to write about.

Times have changed.

I have briefly blogged about Stevie and our concerns whether he had ADHD. We struggled with getting him tested, because we didn't want to label him. We aren't into medicating children, and so we picked a pediatrician and a psychologist who shared our vision. The past two years have been filled with frustrations in dealing with behavior modification and schooling.

Stevie is in Kindergarten now. He is at school with Donnie and he is loving it. He is, however, having trouble. His impulse control is almost non-existent. In a classroom full of 27 students, his teacher has had enough. We aren't sure if he will be allowed back at the school next year. As big supporters of Catholic education, this has been a real blow for Don and I.

We finally went through the process of having the full ADHD evaluation. We got the diagnosis we expected. Stevie is a smart, creative and happy child with ADHD. He is the most joyful person I have ever met. The idea of medicating him and turning him into a zombie kid was pretty frightening.

Yesterday we took the report and met with Stevie's pediatrician. He has known Stevie since he was about 6 hours old. I think even he found himself surprised to recommend a medication for Stevie. After many assurances that the medications have come a long way, and this one would not turn him into a zombie, we agreed. He will only take it on school days, and it is supposed to be a time released drug that will wear off at the end of the day.

The doctor suggested we try it out this weekend so we would be able to look for any ill effects ourselves instead of hearing about them through a teacher. We are an hour into the experiment. Stevie took the pill like a champ. He was so proud of himself. No ill effects so far. He is calm and doing his weekend homework without any problems. This isn't that different from the way he usually behaves on the weekend, so I am not so sure yet. Updates, I promise, will follow.

Tuesday is a big day. We will meet with his teacher and some administrators. I think the big decision will be made that day. I can't tell you how much it will hurt if they say he can't come back.



Could you turn down this face?