It was around 1986, when my son Lewis was diagnosed of having ADHD. I like using the term "accused" of having ADHD. I really disagree with anyone who goes this route to get the child to learn. Most of the time it's the teachers of our children that does the diagnosing. Is this sane? Should we trust their opinion.

Yep, if you don't like the way your child behaves you can take him or her to a doctor and chances are great that they'll be placed on Ritalin. ( I really hope this isn't true.)

There are other reasons to take your child to a doctor. If by some chance you don't notice anything peculiar about your child, chances are your child's teacher has. This turns into a discussion on whether you're a fit parent of not. If you refuse to give you child the drug, some teachers have even threatened parents that they are abusing the child's educational and/or emotional needs.

Most of everything I've learned about this so called disease comes from reading horror stories.

It was once stated by some of the older generation that "children should be seen and not heard". Naturally I took it like a joke. Sometimes I wonder if it was a joke. Of course when you see a child on this drug, it appears to me that they are "just seen", and not heard.

I am just wondering if we are complying to the teachers wishes just so we can make it easier for the teacher to cope with so many elementary kids. Maybe at first thought, we don't even think about that. However if you were a teacher and you had a bunch of first graders it's possible that you'd want to drug them all.

That is not the right thing to do. My son was a very happy child. He definitely want to play. It was a shock to him to go to school. It was also very exciting. As well as I thought I knew my own child, it was argued that he wasn't learning because he had ADHD. The teacher said she repeated kept him from going out to play just because he was disruptive.

Let me diagnose this situation like I did then. Lewis wanted to play all the time. So when it's time for him to play, they would not allow it. When all the other kids comes back in from recess, he is disruptive again. "Hmmm", something is wrong with this picture. I suppose we should drug the little guy.

Lewis was no longer an active participant in much of anything. He was a zombie. But oh, how happy the teacher was.

Lewis was placed on Ritalin with a lot of pressure from the school. However, I hated it. I hated it more than anything I could think of. I constantly wondered what the drug was doing to him. I felt like I knew how he felt.

I personally had my day taking speed while driving a truck. Before my son was born, I was told that speed will cause you to have heart problems, hair loss, and even weight loss. It may even rot your teeth out. It scared me then but my job wanted the load to get to the destination. I eventually quit that job just for that reason.

It may not be caused by the drug, but my child eventually started doing things that should have been researched. It did not bother him one bit to get into trouble. He eventually hit the big time. He even went to jail at the age of 15. He pretty much stayed there till he was 18.

He wasn't out long before he went right back in. It didn't appear to bother him much. I can't explain it. I have no words to explain it. He even repeatedly did drugs when he was out of jail.

The bottom line is if you try to convince him that he is going down the wrong path, it appeared that he really didn't care. Maybe he was a zombie.

Now, lucky for us, Lewis did not die. He's not on that drug anymore and he is out of jail and doing fine with a wife and child of his own.

In my own opinion, I don't feel like this drug should ever be given to a child. I am sure that a lot of teachers and mothers will disagree. Last, I don't think the analysis of a child having this disease is accurate. I believe it's just an opinion.

If you have a child on Ritalin, or if your child is diagnosed with ADHD, it is best you learn everything you can about the drug, the risks involved and the procedure for diagnosing the disease. Frankly, I don't believe it's a disease at all.

How can we win the war on drugs when we shove them down our own kids before they even know what a drug is. Kids die because of this drug.

Everything you've read is JUST my opinion and I will not claim or accept any responsibility for you doing something based on this article. It is for your entertainment only.

Randall Stafford
http://www.randallsquare.com

Copyright 2005 Randy Stafford

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