I can tell you quite honestly that I do both.
TheODDDad and I have been encouraged to dream big for Bear by a wonderful teacher at Bear's school who saw his potential and believed in him right from the beginning. For Bear's first two years of school, this man teased me that we were looking at the future Prime Minister of Canada. (He left the school, otherwise I'm sure he'd still be saying it.) He recognized that Bear is extremely bright, funny, engaging, and an independent thinker. Although kids with ADHD, and especially ODD, are at higher risk of trouble with the law and with substance abuse than other kids, Bear shows no inclination to ever bowing to peer pressure. That's not say that he'll be immune to these problems down the road, just that he'll probably be the ring leader with other people following him. As his mother, I find that both troubling and reassuring all at once.
So as the video says, here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The ones who are just crazy enough to think they can change the world...and do. Here's to you, Bear. Someday you'll change the world in your own special way. I know, because you've already changed mine.
A few thoughts, none of which really connect...I'm sort of in a stream of consciousness kind of place today...
ReplyDelete1. Where are the women in that video? Surely there have been famous/notorious women with ADD/ADHD that have made an impact on the world?
2. I love what you said about Bear being the future Prime Minister of Canada. Can I tell you a secret? I have this belief that my girl is destined for greatness too? When we told her that we were expecting, my mother in law, who is clairvoyant, told me a few things. One, that she would be a girl and two, that she would be very special and people would be drawn to her. She was right. All her life, people we don't even know want to be near her, come over to her to talk to her, to get to know her. When she was a baby and my husband was unemployed, we were waiting at the county clinic to get her vaccinations. A hispanic woman, also waiting, was called back before we were. As she walked by, she knelt down and kissed her on the head. Like I said, I think my girl is destined for greatness. She's creative and thinks big and dreams even bigger. I hope the world can stay out of her way.
My friend Clare, whose son has Down's Syndrome, has spearheaded inclusion in our school system here. One of her favorite sayings, which I have adopted is "my child can't rise to low expectations."
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