What gave me the clue? When he couldn't manage to get his jacket on without complaining his hands hurt? When the only way to get him to chill the hell out was to plug him into my ipod for our morning walk to school? The way he literally RAN home in front of me for the same walk after school. All the while randomly trying to walk out BEFORE the crossing guards, climbing on random benches, or hiding in passing shrubbery? Home hasn't been any better. No words can keep him from climbing himself up and launching his 9 year old self off the back of the couches, his bed, his closet shelf, the top of the tortoise cage, or the bathtub. And don't even get me started as to what he's been doing in the bathtub for the past thirty minutes, aside from drowning one of the cats (who we must give props to because she's now bathing herself next to me on the computer desk, taking it all in stride). After the 27th STOP DOING THAT sternly from Mr at the dinner table and the 31st GET YOUR FOOD COVERED HANDS OFF THE BACK OF THE COUCH WHILE YOU'RE EATING and 122nd PUT ALL FOUR LEGS OF THE CHAIR ON THE FLOOR WHILE YOU'RE AT THE TABLE he broke out into tears. Again. I, at this point, yank out the Nice Mommy Hat and pull the sobbing ball of whirlwind of emotions into my lap reassuring Sir (and myself) that it's Not His Fault. He has been off his ADD meds since Saturday, and we can't get them refilled until we get paid on the 1st and can pay the $100 in backdue doctor bills (Since we only have to go in every 4 mos when it's re-fill time, I sometimes get slack on the payments in the meantime. But I ALWAYS get it paid so we can get refilled. These meds are NOT optional to our well-being. I do stress OUR.). Whenever he cycles it out of his system it is an awful process on him AND us. We don't do it often, but did over the summer. I can assure you. We try not to do non-med time if we can help it. Summer was more of an experiment to prove that he NEEDS the meds. That and we were ridiculously busy and didn't prioritize it to have him in and on them. This coming summer won't happen like that. Meds? REQUIRED. I love him, but HOT DAMN. I remember taking a brief college course when I was 18. The lecturer said that kids don't really have ADD. That it's just God granting some kids the ability to have a Short Attention Span. Doctors just want to overmedicate our kids. Sure, I'll let him use that excuse for the 20 mouthy ones that just need some good discipline, and rules, and less mommy-doing-drugs-when-carrying-them-in-the-womb. But I don't agree with him on the rest of them. My son definitely has a hormone imbalance (for lack of a smarter medical term on it... my brain doesn't like to remember the dictionary definitions on things... that's what I have Twin & Angel & Rue for! Love them!!). The medication helps him even out, and function better and more productively in society. He might bitch and moan and whine about taking it, but I'm sure he doesn't complain when he's not getting hell from teachers and other student about his outrageous behavior that he can't control - no matter how much he wants too. Enough of my soap box for now. I'm tired and when I'm tired I babble. Off to try and tuck Mr Cranky Pants in bed. Day 1 of Separate Rooms for my boys. Gonna be a hard one to break for him, but Big Brother really does want to enjoy his own space. I'm hoping it will help Both of them to sleep better. The downside is that we have to stay awake in the living room until they're asleep otherwise the sneeky little booger will try to foil our plans. *sigh* Motherhood. The only thing I ever wanted as a kid. I never dreamed all that much bigger. And yet it's sooo much more of an emotional turmoil than I ever could've imagined.
