What I’m Thankful For!

Well, we made it through Thanksgiving, the turkey, the potatoes, the family.  Oh my!  And it was a family holiday as usual, a test to see who was the most comfortable with not talking, as the rest of the table continued to interrupt each other.  The kids were fairly well behaved.  They actually love being able to sit at a separate table.  I remember being a kid and not liking the kids’ table, but I guess things change.  Their separate table is in the same room, just removed slightly from the rest of us.  I think they enjoy not having to sit quietly while the adults talk endlessly, they just want to talk about the latest gossip from Hollywood!

So anyway, I was really working on figuring out how to keep them involved and busy during the morning of my cooking.  If I just encouraged them to stay away there would inevitably be fights throughout the day.  If I told them to go play, I’d be making a trip to the emergency room before I even took the turkey out of the oven, guaranteed!  What did I do?  I put them to work.

I made it fun, and we sang and cooked, but they were busy, industrious, and felt a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day.  They stuffed the turkey, cut the vegetables, peeled potatoes, calculated cooking times, basically they made Thanksgiving dinner with a little adult supervision.  Their pride as people were thanking me for dinner and I was pointing out that they had made this and that was fantastic!  Our dinner was great, prep time was calm, and the girls enjoyed the whole day!  A fantastic Thanksgiving day in my book.

Well, I always seem to learn new things I am thankful for!  I hope you were able to take some time to reflect on all that you have to be thankful for, and remember to take the opportunity to tell those you love what they mean to you!

~Stay Strong

Tracy

What Are You Thankful For?

With Thanksgiving right around the corner here in the United States, I thought it was time to share some of the reasons I am thankful for having ADHD in my life, so here they are:

I can do more than most!  While I see some of my counterparts struggling to get their to do lists complete during the course of a regular day, I find I can finish my list, and oftentimes someone else’s too, and have time to spare.  The only catch is finding that darn to do list in the first place!

I am very energetic.  I can buzz around like nobody’s business.  My family sometimes gets tired just watching me.  Rather than watching a movie for 2 hours and getting nothing done, I can get entire rooms cleaned on one commercial break.  I just have to get motivated to do it first!

My kids can be very spontaneous!  They can decide to do something, and rather than sitting and planning forever, without ever putting anything into action, they can get it done quickly!  Whether it’s that $25 they want to earn for the new shirt or the new pet they want, they have an amazing ability to make things happen.  If only I could get them to stop running towards walls without thinking about it first.  (Nope, I’m not kidding!)

We are all very committed.  Once we make a decision to do something, it gets done.  Some people may call it stubborn, but I like to call it committed.

I am very creative.  I may not always feel creative, I mean, I don’t think I could draw my way out of a wet paper bag.  However, I must admit, I tend to come up with solutions that most “normal” people would never even consider possible!  Good or bad, it is the truth.

We are all open and not into secrets.  Whether the cause of this particular attribute is dedication, belief, or simply not paying enough attention to be able to remember the secrets, it certainly simplifies life quite a bit!

I am loyal, sometimes to a fault.  Once you have earned my respect and loyalty you will always have it.  Some people say I am just to “committed” to know when to let go, but I say I am just the most loyal person you will ever meet.

So, there you have.  The 7 things I am most grateful for about ADHD, at least today.  The 7 may change from day to day, some moving up on the list, others moving down, but one thing remains the same, I am always grateful for some things about ADHD and what it offers to my life.

What are you most thankful for?

Can You Believe It?

I had the most unique experience today!  I actually got to watch as one of my daughters was given a certificate for making the A/B Honor Roll!  I must admit, it was odd.  Typically my kids have always been the “not working up to their potential” kids.  They have been the ones that are so frustrating because you know they are smarter than they show, their teachers know it, but due to their performance there is not much you can do about it.

It was wonderful getting to watch her be called up to the stage and shake the principal’s hand.  And it was a great experience for her!  She got to feel what it is like to be recognized for doing well rather than doing not so well.

Now, I don’t want you to assume that things are easy now.  She promptly came home and refused to do her homework.  She was told to, and put it off for a good amount of time.  Finally I made her go to bed.  Boy, she was upset.  We had the same conversation we have had so many times, but this time it has been a while.  We haven’t had to have this particular conversation in almost a year.  Tonight we did.

I reminded her that I am the adult and she is the kid.  There are certain things that are okay to decide on her own (I want to encourage her self-esteem and sense of healthy independence) and there are other things that are not okay for her to try to decide, whether or not to do her homework is on the not okay list.  She ultimately was able to tell me where her poor choices were and how to choose better next time.  Then she happily went to bed, which is good since she will be getting up early to finish her homework!

The moral for this one?  Sometimes they just need someone else to be the parent.  They may not tell you that’s what they need, but it is.

*On another positive note, my oldest was awarded her varsity letter this week for soccer.  She was so proud of it and it was a great self esteem boost for her as well!  And the best part of this one?  Soccer is OVER!  Now if we can just get her healed from her last injury…