Mornings

This morning was like a dream! They got up when they were asked to, did what needed to be done, and boom bang - both were outside in plenty of time to catch the buses to school! Are we really getting there?

Geesh - I remember days of seeing one of the boys running out to the waiting bus, a piece of toast in his mouth, one shoe on with the other in his hand....back pack open... Oh yeah, good times.

I think disorganization drives me nuts the most. Scattered, random thoughts. Start to do this, then get distracted by that, then get involved in this...and next thing I know, there are three things that are partially done, and nothing has been actually completed!! I used to think they did this stuff just to make me insane, but now I realize that is classic ADHD.

I'm a board of directors for a local ADHD chapter. Special Events Coordinator. Sounds like such a fancy smanchy title, wouldn't you say? Yeah - all that means is that I am one of five that works like crazy to try and raise awareness about the oddity that is ADHD. There is one man on the board, and he has ADHD. He is one of the smartest people I've ever met. He's an IT guy at some big company in the city - all kinds of new and wonderful electronic gadgets at his disposal. He is super organized, and has explained that he has to force himself to do that - otherwise, it's just utter turmoil for him. Every now and then little bits and pieces of the disorder pop up - for example, when we were coming up with the new logo. He had it in his head that "this" was the way it was going to look, and when the graphics guy modified the colours just a bit (tweeked the brightness) it through our IT guy for a loop. Resistance to change is huge for people that suffer from ADHD. If everything stays the same, is predictable and safe, the ADHD person is happy. Yeah - I have two of them in this house...

I will never forget the rage attack that occurred when I bought a new cutlery holder. The A-man went to get his spoon in the morning, and you would have thought the world was coming to an end. The drawer got slammed closed, and suddenly I'm being yelled at because "I never tell him about anything in advance, and how can I just go around changing things without telling him, and he LIKED the old holder, and now he would have to get used to this new one".... it was 7:20am, my coffee was just brewing, and I'm standing there thinking - all this over a cutlery holder? He's 12 for pity sake...do most 12 year olds even notice the cutlery holder? He went on, and on, AND ON, about how he hates changes, and hates that no one ever tells him anything, how his whole day was now ruined... again, "Seriously - a cutlery holder??"

So, I have had to adapt to some things. I try to give warning as much as I can - about everything. Even stuff I don't think they will give a flying fig about. Sometimes they respond, other times, it's like I never spoke. But, at least I have given warnings. They are starting to realize that some things aren't planned, but they both still have a hard time with spontaneity.

And, off to the races....