Yes, that's our Christmas tree still standing in the background. Some might argue that such a decoration should have been packed up MONTHS ago, but to them I say FIE and BE-DAMNED!!! It's Christmas ALL... YEAR... LONG at our place. Plus, uh... Liesi may have destroyed the box which we'd intended to store it in. Rest assured, it was a slow steady process. First it was a house. Then, after the ripped the top and bottom flaps off, it was a tunnel. Then when she's ripped it completely open it was either a mattress or an old school hip-hop break dancing mat. Then, ripped into a thousand little pieces, it was a puzzle. A puzzle that I didn't have the heart to tell her, would never be capable of being placed back together.
At this point all I can do is sit back, watch and wait for the eventual diagnosis that will either prove me wrong or confirm my worst fears.... Oh, and ramble. Growing up ADHD isn't easy by any stretch of the imagination. I remember how hard it was for me, cutting my teeth in prim and proper CT with the energy of not one boy, but at least seven. VCRs were taken apart, inspected and forgotten about until my father's screams of anguish over the loss of his home media center would awaken me at night. When I was about 11, I was shy and maladjusted. I'd often say the wrong thing at the wrong time and would often make up elaborate lies in order to impress both my peers and adults.
I'd often make up fantastical stories of the rollercoaster I had in my backyard. One time some kids went to check it out after school. When they called me on it, I told them that it had been repossessed because my Dad was being indicted for insider trading. I think that I had heard the phrase on TV once. Other lies included that my Mom had been on Wheel of Fortune. That my uncle worked at Sega and was developing a really cool X-Men video game. He didn't and he wasn't. My uncle's an alcoholic, failed meteorologist who, when visiting our house... Gets soused, goes downstairs, sits in the dark and listens to his weather radio. Presumably he'd cry during these sessions.
The next year, I got into theater. That untapped energy and rambunctiousness paid dividends when I was strutting my stuff on stage. With Liesi, I'd been considering enrolling her in a dance class when she got a bit older... And then, this video was shot. By me.
I've got a pretty bad headcold today, so pardon the Vader-like breathing.
I'm going to have to wait and hope that she'll develop rhythm over time. Oh, and get this!! This is actually the best of three vids I shot today. In this one, she actually keeps her clothes on. Maybe Laura wasn't that far off with her first name choice.
Anyways, all kids crave attention, but none more than ADHD children. Whereas, an unaffected 4 year old might need to talk to you every few minutes, may need praise when good work is done, ADHD children feel that need at nearly every moment of the day. Liesi's like that, a whirlwind of non stop energy that has no bounds. If I even so much as blink, I'll open my eyes and see a beautiful Diego Rivera-esqe mural painted on my wall. I love the kid, but she's VERY high maintenance. Still, I'm not one to judge.
It happened to me. Hell, I still feel the need for constant approval at 27, and will absolutely go nuclear if someone employs the ever dreaded "silent treatment" on me. It's even worse when people don't read my blogs... Hint, hint. My Dad would help sometimes by buying me an extremely elaborate modeling kit or a puzzle that he knew that I'd never be able to finish. It breaks down like this, kids.
Should I do like what my mom did and put that energy to use?? One summer, before she'd let me go out and swim in the pool, she pulled out a HUGE stack of store circulars... Some of which from stores that I'd never heard of! Some of which that I'm sure couldn't possibly exist! Anyways, long rambling story short, she sat me down at the dining room table and told young Matthew:
[Mom] In front of you are a three giant stacks of circulars, a pair of scissors and three empty cigar boxes... Beyond those grim objects is a refreshing dip in the swankiest above ground pool that your Father's salary as an Shipping Department Assistant Manager can afford. Manufactures, No Expiration Date, Mail-In Rebate... This is how you will sort them. You have until lunch to finish this task.
By lunch-time, I'd cut enough coupons and saved my Mom enough money that should she so chosen, she'd have been able to reduce Gaum's national debt three times over. Instead, we just saved a lot of money and were never for want of Van De Kamp's fish sticks. Oh, and also I got to go swimming. The point of this story is that, with an intricate task, and with our own comfort and happiness on the line, I was able to be a surprisingly productive members of society.
With the right encouragement, who knows what Liesi could grow up to be someday?
I love these videos, she is absolutely adorable!! And she dances just like I do!
ReplyDeleteYou should send that last one with the Simpsons voices in to Jay Leno or something... Actually, better yet, send it in to Ellen. She will be able to better identify.