Where’s that rainbow?

I really want to say that Lenis ADHD doesn’t bother me but the reality is that some days it really does.

This week Leni has been in trouble at school twice. He had a substitute teacher and misbehaved. This isn’t unusual when a teacher steps out of the classroom and someone the children are not familiar with steps in. Leni also feels very comfortable with his regular teacher and they have a mutual respect and that takes a while to build. Leni didn’t feel comfortable with the relief teacher and because she upset him he couldn’t settle and became more disruptive in class.

He didn’t do it on purpose which sounds absurd but it’s true. Lenis body is metabolising his medication faster so by lunchtime it’s no longer in his system. The thing about kids with ADHD is that when their meds wear off they have to work overtime to learn and often because it’s too hard they are easily distracted and thanks to their lack of control they misbehave. They don’t want to get into trouble but because they can’t concentrate or sit still teachers will often get upset.

I understand why teachers would get upset however I also feel for the kids with ADHD who cannot self regulate, sit still or concentrate. They have this massive internal battle going on and because they look like every other 9 year old it’s easy to forget that their brain is not like everyone else’s.

I’ve reached out to his paediatrician for guidance. Do we increase his medication, do we introduce an SSRI all things that we spoke about a month ago that may need to be dealt with sooner rather than later.

It’s Thursday and although I’m having a good week at work my kids are making life miserable at home. The constant ups and downs with Leni this week have been tough and whilst I am normally patient and understanding it’s upset me because it feels like everything goes to shit just when everything is starting to go well.

Add to all of this a teenager who is one minute my friend and the next my enemy and I’m dodging landmines every damn day.

I know that tomorrow is a new day but until things are ironed out we don’t really know what kind of day we are going to have. One day you think you have it nailed and the next you are wishing time away so you can collapse into bed and fall into dreams that offer an escape from your reality.

I do remember reading a while back that this time of growth from 9 to 12 for boys with ADHD can be quite challenging because they do go through so many changes but occasionally I’d like a little down time between these spikes in growth so I can catch my breath and just enjoy the ride for a bit.

Not sure what the week ahead holds but you can bet it will be interesting because things are never boring in a neurodiverse household.

Side note: on Friday we gave the school one of Lenis SA Ritalin tablets that we use for activities to see if they helped after lunch and it did. This may be how we roll until I can speak to his paed.