FROM THE EDITOR
HOT READS:
ADDITUDE ON THE WEB
Just Breathe
The most-read stories on
ADDitudeMag.com, from
the Spring 2013 issue:
ADDITUDE PRIDES ITSELF ON PASSING ALONG TIPS THAT MAKE life a little more organized, rewarding, and less frantic for you and your child. That’s what the magazine does—and I think it’s
pretty good at it. But all those calls to action should be balanced with calls
to back-pats and high-fives.
It’s wonderful that a kid diagnosed with ADHD knows that he can be a
CEO of a company, like airline executive David Neeleman, and that she
can put her symptoms on a short leash with enough practice, determina-
tion, and perhaps medication.
But it’s life-changing and valuable to know that they are exceptional
when they’re perfecting, a la Harry Potter, their
Patronus Charm to ward off Dementors in the
classroom, taking a driving test for the sixth time,
or leaving their homework next to the goldfish tank again. Life is hard for
ADHD kids, and it should be noted by parents, teachers, relatives, and the
world that they face it with the persistence of a pole-vaulter, despite not
making it over the bar the day before.
Parents, we wouldn’t want to leave you out. Life is hard for you, too,
even though you look for silver linings rather than whine about those “woe
is me” moments. Most ADHD parents have two full-time jobs: the one at
the office or the mall or the local college, and the more important one—
being CEO of your child.
Parents of children diagnosed with ADHD should cut themselves some
slack, as they do their children when they don’t win the trophy or earn the
A. You’re doing a great job, so forgive yourself—and let it go—when you
don’t measure up to the superhero you are asked to be on most days.
E The Anger Games
R It’s a Plan
T Are You Sure It’s ADHD?
U Don’t Let ADHD Get You Down
I On Their Best Behavior
O Your Digital Brain
P Teaching Machines
A Your Turn
(School Accommodations)
S Meds, Meds, Meds
D Master Everyday Stuff
Life is hard for
ADHD kids.
HUMOR YOURSELF
Impatient
Patients
Doctors hear the darndest
things from their ADHD
patients. Here is a short list:
MED CHAT
Check out our new ADHD Medication and Treatment Reviews on
ADDConnect.com. Here you can read user reviews from those taking
ADHD meds, ask questions, and add your own experiences. Visit ADD
Connect.com/forums and join the conversation.
> When a mom is asked how she knows
her college student is inattentive, she
answers: “She stops at green lights.”
> “I talk so fast that sometimes I say
things I haven’t thought of yet.”
> “I see the forest. I just keep bumping
into the trees.”
> “I lose interest in the stuff I am interested in.”
> “When I zone out, my brain goes to
ADHDland and my body goes to the
refrigerator.”
> When asked why she talks out of turn
so much, a young student answered, “I
need something for my mouth to do.”
> “My mind isn’t racing at bedtime, but it
sure is jogging.”
> “If you don’t live on the edge, you can’t
see the view.”
From Survival Tips for Women with AD/HD,
by TERRY MATLEN. Copyright 2005.
