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Originally Posted by onesnowyowl
Drugs are a good crutch, and a good easy way out.
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In general, I disagree. I don't think medication is an easy way out. Very few medications actually fix something. They mostly just mask our symptoms so that we can focus on eating our fries and playing more CoD without having to deal with our problems. But the medications themselves can bring with them a whole new set of issues.
I don't have ADD, and when I grew up (I'm not that old, 31 in a couple of months) it didn't exist. Hyperactive kids were just that - hyperactive. And it is no coincidence that these very same hyperactive kids are now some of the most successful individuals I know. Back then, they didn't dumb those kids down with Zombietol or Numbitol. They acted out in class? Of course they did. We all did. And then we got spanked the shit out of, and deserved it.
That is not to say ADD isn't a real medical problem. In some cases, it may be bad enough that it needs medicating. But the same goes for a lot of things these days. I walked into a mental health counselor's office some weeks ago, and on the first session she offered to write me a prescription for antidepressants. I declined, but then again I am old enough to make that decision for myself. The point being that I believe in some cases they push meds on you well before it should even be considered. Another thing is this whole business about kids acting up in school. It seems to me as if the tolerance regarding that has really lowered. When I was a kid, the teacher could shout and yell and cook up all kinds of non-physical punishments for us. I'm not sure they're even allowed to yell anymore. They're just powerless, which fuels the kids' behavioral problems. When the parents are the only adults in their lives with the authority to set and reinforce the kids' boundaries, well... Those few hours of quality time the parents get to spend with their kids between clocking out from work and going to bed, it's just not sufficient in many cases. But I digress as usual.
I am an advocate for behavioral therapy, at least as a first step. I would encourage you to explore that option first, but I wouldn't consider you a bad parent or anything for resorting to medicating if need be. Do what you feel is best for your child.