The Perfect Drug

We just had the boy's Parent-Teacher Conference last week--a wake-up call that we've expected for some time now.  While PTC may sound like the latest street-drug, it is not.  I can assure you that the effects are similar.  Both give you a euphoric high at the beginning, but when it's all said and done, the crash leaves you depressed.  We've always had high hopes going in to Caleb's conferences and this time was no different.

It started out good; he's doing well in school, gets along with others, and hates math.  He's a normal 7-year old.  But then the teacher went over her concerns.  We've had four years of PTCs under our belt going in to this session so we knew what was coming next.  Quirky Behavior.  Stemming.  Horrific Fine Motor Skills.  It's his ADHD Trifecta.

 If only his handwriting was that neat.

We've heard it before and we've hoped that some of it could be attributed to phases (much of it has), but the latest PTC was the perfect drug to wake us up.  We always said that we would avoid the labels and medication as long as the behaviors didn't interfere with school.  They are.  There are some behaviors that may not just "phase themselves out" and it's time to get serious.

Talk of medication and gluten-free diets is in the air.  I don't know what gluten is, but I imagine it's what makes food taste delicious.  Any time a dietician recommends eliminating something from your diet, you can bet it's something tasty.  It's hard enough to get the kids to eat already, I can't create a new menu based on restrictive food and expect to have the kids eat it, can I?

Thus begins the developmental pediatrician visits, dietician appointments, and the occupational therapy.    On the plus side, the time I spend grocery shopping should be cut down exponentially considering that all of my purchases will come from one tiny section of the store dedicated to gluten-free products.  So, while we wait for doctor appointments and some much-needed guidance, we'll just sit back and embrace the quirkiness.