Tales of ADHD Destruction

Thanks for all the comments on my earlier post about Natalie destroying her blue jeans. Wow, I’m not in this alone! Reading your responses made me realize… I have more to say on this topic. Boy, do I ever!

Last Christmas, Nat’s “big” present was a children’s drum set. She loves music, and I thought that, given her problems with sensory integration, having control over loud sounds as she experiences them might help her learn to tolerate them. Someone else will have to test that hypothesis — I never got the chance.

On the first day - THE VERY FIRST DAY — the drum set was in her bedroom, she played in her room, with the door closed, with Ty and Lindzey, friends who live across the street. With one ear tuned to the happy voices and “music” coming from Nat’s room, Don and I went about our business without constantly checking on the kids as they played.

Mistake! The sounds of the drum were not happy sounds at all. Nat took apart the stool, and used one of its metal legs to ram holes in the drum heads. Ruined. And that puppy was not cheap. The drum set went back in the box, and to this day, it’s in the garage, where the sight of the box is a reminder, to me — not to Natalie, I’m sure — of this frustrating event.

It’s contest time! What’s the most expensive item your child with ADHD has destroyed within 24 hours? I’ll start. One drum set: $120.

Can you beat that?