I am the mother of three kids.
My oldest, Lage 13, has ADHD Predominantly Hyper, My middle child, Maria 10, has ADHD Predominantly Inattentive, and my youngest, Frida 6, is too young to get a diagnosis where we live in Sweden. Hopefully, she won’t need one.
I was born in the USA at the beginning of the ’80s when ADHD was not often diagnosed, but after struggling to pay attention in many classes, I wonder if my children are the only ones who need an ADHD diagnosis in our family.
How does it feel to have ADHD Predominantly Hyper?
I noticed that the voice of children is vastly underrepresented. There are plenty of articles on ADHD and how parents, Doctors, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, and counselors think kids and teenagers with ADHD feel, but very few actual testimonies from kids.
Adults can reminisce and try to remember how they felt as children, but I will be the first to admit that my memories of my ADHD childhood are far from infallible. That is why I chose to interview my son and answer this question in the words of a 13-year-old kid.
Interview with Lage age 13
‘’How does it feel to have ADHD?’’ I asked, ‘’Can you describe some of the different aspects of it and how it feels?’’
His words on focusing
‘’I can focus on 5 different things at the same time. I can also shut it off if I want to.”
‘‘I can focus on the teacher, the kids making noise behind me, and all the kids in the entire classroom at the same time.’’
He went on to say…
‘’I can concentrate on one thing or many things, like I have a computer menu in my head. It’s definitely easier to focus on things that I really like.’’
‘’I can focus on things that I am not interested in but it’s much harder.’’
His superpower
‘’If I am really interested in something I hyperfocus.”
”For example, If I am really interested in a subject, and I want to read up on it, I may go into Wikipedia and read 10 pages on the topic.”
”I read with supersonic speed and remember everything.’’
How he best calms down
‘’I like to be outside and sit and think in nature without any other people around.’’
‘’Sometimes I go outside and take a breather and wonder, Why am I fighting with my parents?’’
”I like to stand outside and breathe the fresh air when I feel stressed. I think about history and all the wars that have been fought and this helps me calm down.’’
How Lage reacts to mishaps and failure
‘’Sometimes I get mad at myself for accidentally getting hurt or hit myself if I fail to accomplish a goal.’’
Lage’s thoughts on his memory
‘’I have a really good memory. The man who can remember the most stuff in the world has ADHD and that’s why he is so unique.’’
He went on to say…
‘’If I want to remember something that I learned last year or a memory from childhood I have everything filed neatly away like a library in my mind. I have an extra good memory.’’
I have a special feature.
‘’If I want to learn something or do something then I do it 10 times better than a normal person!’’
‘’If I do not want to do something then I do it 5 times worse than a normal person.’’ Lage explained. ‘’If the boring thing becomes fun then I can do it 10 times better.’’
Lage’s thoughts on working out
Lage likes to do push-ups and pull-ups at home.
He says, ‘’It feels good to work out. Working out is sort of like a meditation for me.’’
What Lage thinks about video games.
‘’I like video games a lot because it’s a way to escape from the real world and it’s really calming and fun.’’
Thoughts on ADHD Medication
‘’Ritalin is a drug from hell!”
”And, the same goes for all those other stimulant medications!”
”Those medications made me feel like I was not myself. I didn’t feel like my creative self and I was never hungry! I got angry, anxious, depressed, and panicky when the Ritalin was leaving my body every afternoon! ”
”It’s medicine from hell!’’ Lage emphasized! ‘’I can’t find strong enough words to describe my dislike of Ritalin.’’
‘’The Medicine I am taking now is ok as long as I get to decide what time of day I take it.’’
Lage Concludes
”I don’t feel like I am different from other youth.”
If you liked this post check out my other blog posts on ADHD.
Click below.
12 Issues Parents of ADHD kids need to fix in themselves! If you really want to help your child YOU need to be willing to change!
How Limbic Bonding Transforms ADHD Children Limbic Bonding is better than Meds!!!
How three different ADHD medications affected my son Thinking about giving your child ADHD Meds READ THIS FIRST!
A Monochrome bedroom decreased my daughters stress and ADHD How Monochrome helps my daughters ADD
The Kiss of Death! Lead Lipstick can cause ADHD in children! Why Lead can make ADHD worse!
If you want more reading tips check out Our Favorite Resources Page. Our Favourite Resources
copyright Annie Eklöv
