Clark = ADHD?

So, the husband of the nursery leader straight up asked Tanner a few weeks ago if Clark had ADHD...seriously. In the husband's defense, he has no children and hence, probably doesn't realize that this is not something you just throw out there in a casual conversation. Tanner said that no, he doesn't think Clark has ADHD. He is just a very active 2 year old boy who ALSO likes to sit and very attentively read story after story :-)

When Tanner told me, I laughed and then got a teeny weeny bit angry. It seems to me these days (and I could be wrong I will admit) that when there is a child who is very active and sociable, there are people who automatically think there is something wrong. Why is that? I do think there are legitimate cases of ADHD that have nothing to do with the parenting style of the parents. Let me repeat, I do think there are legitimate cases of ADHD. However, I also think there are more and more children walking around looking like ZOMBIES because they are drugged up on medication because their parents don't want to have to deal with ummmm...the actual parenting of an active child. And I have the stats to back it up. I read an article that showed prescriptions for ADHD meds have increased 500 percent since 1991. Yep, you read me right, 500% in 10 years (I think the article was published in 2000...who knows what the stats are now!). That's just ridiculous. See this article. I really liked the quote from the doctor who said:

The significant increase in stimulant medication prescribed to children has raised concerns that our society is choosing quick-fix remedies to treat ADHD. "How we deal with our kids' problems reflects our thinking and a much larger problem in our culture."

The purpose of this blog is not to judge anyone who has a child with ADHD...I don't know which cases are legitimate or not and I would just prefer to think that any child who is on medication for ADHD actually has it. But clearly, there is a problem as a whole, and it makes me angry at parents and health care providers who frankly just choose not to do their job and think that a pill will solve all of their problems and/or do all the work for them. I don't know who those parents and health care providers are, and I probably never will. I can only worry about my children and my ability to parent effectively and who I choose as my own health care provider. But it makes me angry that it has become so common a thing that a parent can be asked "Does he have ADHD?" in the same way someone would ask "Does he have a cold?"
It's just ridiculous....and sad.

Now to the lighter side of things. Clark is cute...here are some pics I have snapped of him over the last couple of days.
Clark likes to draw all over his hands when coloring with markers, and then when he is done, he looks up and says "Mom, OH NO!" I think he just likes the trip to the bathroom to wash it all off. Gotta love washable markers. Notice the markings are all on his right hand, which means he was writing with his LEFT hand. Yay for lefties! Except that the next day, he did the same thing on his left hand. Darn it.

Who knew that a lamp shade could also function quite well as a hat!

Story time with dad in bed. Love the foot on the knee.