A (what to make for dinner, activites for Wed's class, why is Firecracker screaming again?) D (gosh, new snow is beautiful, where's that list I made..

(what was I thinking about? Oh yeah!!)

ADD

I think I probably have had a twinge of ADD my whole life, and managed it well enough. Well enough to not wonder if I was abnormal or broken or anything, that is. This last kid, Firecracker, has changed our lives in innumerable and mostly happy ways. But it must be mentioned that I will never feel the same again!

Reading The Disorganized Mind, by Nancy Ratey, and Women with Attention Deficit Disorder, by Sari Solden have helped me identify in what ways my wandering attention bugs me.

A few of them are:

• I can only focus on one thing at a time, either being touched, or listening or looking. More than one thing taxes me and requires quiet time to "rest up" afterwards.
• I re-fuel by being alone and quiet. Reading is OK, but listening or watching is not useful, but rather draining.
• When I'm mentally and physically prepared to start a project (which takes an inordinate amount of effort all by itself), I find myself inexplicably and unstoppably driven to do SOMETHING ELSE.
• I become incapable of making decisions about things and organizing. I'm not paralyzed by emotions or what-ifs, I just can't decide.

There are lists and lists out there of typical ADD characteristics. But what concerns me now is HOW TO COPE. Working on it will be a lifetime activity, I suppose. I hope I make some headway before I get old and have dementia! (sort of funny, sort of not!)