thoughts out loud

i am worried for children. i am worried that there is this big need for people to explain their children's actions and thoughts by diagnosing them something rather than just accepting the facts that kids will, indeed, be kids. i was concerned while watching the today show this morning because the "soft signs" they mentioned for children on the autism-spectrum fit not only most children i know, but my son, to a t. and my son is not autistic, nor does he have aspergers, or a.d.d., and he most certainly is not going to ever be paraded to a doctor to be diagnosed as something.

i fail to understand the benefit singling out a child's personality or way of do things. i fail to understand how it is healthy to bring a child in a room and tell them that there is something wrong with them, but it's okay because there is a name for it. and thank twonicorns that there is a big pharma company that has finally made a medication for that sick little child. it seems as if some people want to put a white shirt with big black letters on their child that says a.d.d. (or what have you) so if that child has a minute of actually being a child, and that parent is for whatever effing reason embarrassed by it or doesn't know how to handle it, they can point at the shirt and say that it's not their fault. and then they can take that child home, give them a drug that crushes their spirit and literally alters their personality, and they pat themselves on the back because they figured it out.

in elementary they tried to convince my mother that my older brother should be on riddlin because he was acting out in class. and by acting out the teacher meant he was talking, and that his attention span was short, and (get this!) he wanted to go outside and play rather than staying in doors. in other words, my brother was being a little boy, and the teacher didn't want to deal with that, and so they approached my mother to drug him to keep him in line. what about that seems right to anyone!? to drug up a little boy for being simply that is asinine. my brother is lucky to have an intelligent mother with the good sense to say no.

being a parent is hard work, and so is being a teacher. kids are impulsive, and then insanely repetitive, and they like to walk into a room making crazy sounds and throw themselves on the floor. they like attention and interaction and if you aren't giving it to them they are going to find a way to make you crazy until you do. there is nothing wrong with that. don't drug them, go outside and play with them. have you actually read the side effects for the drugs people are filling their kids up with? terrifying. absolutely terrifying.

and i am not saying that issues that need addressed do not exist, and of course those issues should be taken care of. what i am mostly saying is that i wish people would think a little more deeply about sticking a label on their kids and sending out into the world. the only label on a child should be child. we worry so much about bullying, but we don't often sit back to think what we do to contribute to kids feeling bad about themselves. and a lot of people out there scream about issues in regards to teen pregnancy, but they refuse to actually sit down with their kids and talk to them about sex. and i know that is a completely different point, but i ramble when i get irritated.

*** this rant brought to you by intuniv, who urges you not to let your little adhd babies operate heavy machinery while the drug works its magic on altering his / her brain. asshats.