Hi All :)

My husband was diagnosed as a child ADD, but in the early 70's all they offered was Ritalin. His parents, especially his mom, refused this and instead turned him onto water sports. This helped him a great deal. As a adult, though, he wavered away from sports and learned to work around his ADD, with some bad habits attached. Flash forward to his 40's and the pressures of computer engineering job started to cause him undue stress stress. So, he picked up some reading material to learn what could help him in the present. He began taking Adderall in spring of '07, and it helps him focus and stay cool :) For Christmas he received boxing gloves and a bag to punch, and that helps, too :).

After I witnessed the good that Adderall had on him, it made me reflect on similar issues I had been experiencing since my early teens and I wondered if I, too suffered from this dysfunction. I, picked up his reading materials, and quickly realized I wasn't going 'crazy' and I wasn't 'lazy' either! I went to see our family doctor and after a long discussion of focusing problems dating back to my adolescence, she reassured me that I was going to be okay and I wasn't crazy :) She told me that girls/women often slip through the proverbial cracks, because we are very adept at compartmentalizing problems and too often we erroneously teach ourselves avoidance that proves detrimental. Today, the medication helps with my focus, but I have a long way to go to correct bad habits that include filling my home's empty spots with too much clutter! Even on the meds, it is a daily battle to not be overwhelmed by it all. I try very hard to work on one area or room at a time, but too often I still subconsciously find ways to avoid finishing projects. The frustrating part is that I DON'T MEAN TO DO THIS, and too may times to count I swamp myself with feelings of failure and I end up in tears! Our daughter is 8 years old and so far shows no signs of this dysfunction, but let me tell you, she has been affected by IT. It's very difficult to teach a child organization, when you can't even do so yourself!

In recent years, I have found an outlet for some of my frustration. I have discovered that I have a knack for the small details that go along with the creation of my own unique jewelry. Whereas, I find great difficulty in focusing on LARGE projects, I find solace in the art of designing unique bracelets, earrings. and necklaces. GO FIGURE! Through this ADDitude e-zine/newsletter and other literature, I realize I AM NOT ALONE! However, I would appreciate advice from other moms that may empathize my parenting and LIFE frustrations :)

Happy New Year! Dawn

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