One of the hardest decisions I have made is to medicate my child. I fought it for several years while trying every natural supplement/remedy I could get my hands on. One day, after many huge struggles at home and at school I was praying to know what I should do; how I could help my son and our family cope with ADHD in a way that was right for him. The answer was hard for me to hear, and yet has helped him more than anything else I have done.
Alex is a good boy. He wants to be good. He wants to do what I ask him to do. He wants to get good grades. He wants people to like him and WANT to be around him. He wants the teachers to know how to communicate with him and he wants to know how to communicate with them.
In essence the answer I got was a question, "How much longer will you put him through this/allow him to struggle and suffer before you will try using medicine?"
Oh MAN do I hate it when I have been wrong. I wanted desperately to help him in a natural way. But guess what, sometimes that just does NOT work.
Almost immediately after starting medicine he began listening better, getting better grades, was able to follow multiple part instructions, and was more calm. Seriously. The grades jumped from D's to A's and B's.
I love doing natural things. But there is GOOD in modern medicine. I don't use it all. But I use it when it's right for our family.
At the end of his 7th grade year we did not feel that the medicine was working for him. The teachers complained that it didn't seem like he had any medicine at all. We finally let the medicine run out at the beginning of summer and have spent the summer watching him. The first few weeks we didn't even notice a difference. After several more weeks we began to notice more. He struggled EVEN more than he had been with following directions. He struggled with being kind and with controlling his anger. He obsessed about everything. There were days that I wanted to crawl inside my closet and lock the door. It was hard for all of us.
Here we are at the beginning of a new school year and I KNOW the teachers would NOT be able to handle what I have dealt with all summer. Not with a classroom full of students.
Yesterday we spent a lot of time talking with the doctor to determine what would be best for Alex. This morning he started on his first dose of medicine. Before it got into his system he was hitting his brother, yelling at his brother, obsessing about a toy, and could not focus on making his food. I redirected him SO MANY TIMES. It was draining! Once we finally finished making his food and sat down to ate, the medicine kicked in, his breakfast kicked in and he has had the most wonderful day. He did his chores without being asked. He asked what he could do do help. He didn't complain once. AWESOME!
He came to me and said, "I know I can't watch a show because everyone is still doing chores, and I can't play a video game. What can I do?" The fact that he posed a question ALL ON HIS OWN without getting distracted or upset...AND it was logical, was a huge improvement.
I suggested that if he went and read his scriptures I would allow him to play on the DS. He wasn't too excited about that so I said, "How about playing on my Kindle?" He liked that! He went straight to his room, read his scriptures and then came to report. AMAZING!
He got extra time to sit and play on my Kindle. AND my stress level is SO much lower.
The moral of this story is...don't push aside one idea because you have seen negative effects that it can have on others. Open your heart and mind and allow inspiration to flow. And if medicine is right for your child/family member then do it. Don't procrastinate. If it's wrong for you, find what works.
Be prayerful. Talk to a loving Father in Heaven who knows you and loves you and wants you and your family to be happy. He will guide you and help you in all aspects of your life. And NEVER say never. (You can read one of my previous posts on this topic here.)
Have a wonderful and peaceful day!
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