"Curing ADHD"

The article came into focus as I continued to clean up the stacks of papers and research, amassed over three decades of study.  The Curing of ADHD caught my eye quickly.

I was intrigued by the title, “Curing ADHD' by Alan D. Bowd. The article, over 20 years old, from the Skeptical Enquirer, aroused my interest again. Over 33,000 hits had resulted then.

Children's lives are at stake when learning is affected by this 'condition'. So many cures were touted. But nothing has changed. ...At the time of this article, in 2001, ”There is no scientifically proven cure for this condition (ADHD).

In 1979, the Momsey delivered a premature infant, over 3 months early, with zero chance of survival. His birth weight, just over 3 pounds, aided in his survival, however. Most babies born this early weighed less than 2 pounds or less. It was a time fraught with uncertainty for us.

Weighing over 5 pounds 2 ounce by the age of 2 months, he was  now ready to go home. Mom had already passed the rigorous test of caring for a preemie. (There was no internet for help) Daily visits with our son along with deliveries of the homegrown food 'elixir', made the medical team's decision an easy one. I could now care for him at home. (Where am I going with this, you wonder)

Our son's life was a busy one. Physiotherapy, then speech therapy became the order of the day for this child. He was into everything, like many children. Food was not important to him. A life with mother nature seemed to help him on his way with a balance of exercise, investigation and core academics mixed in.

On weekend trips anywhere, a stop at a park for our son and his two brothers became an important ritual. It was a critical step in their development. Thank goodness for parks. A day with structure, too, was an integral part of their day. Nap time anyone?

Building certain activities into our sons' day helped address the distraction, the daydreaming and any uncontrollable volatile moments along that way. Life demands it. The days were exhausting on so many levels, but I knew that a day with none of it would be far worse than anything I could imagine. Gratitude and humility come to mind.

Perhaps we see our children more often than in the past thus noticing more of the moments of their day.  Children went outside to play and came home for dinner so they say. Fact or fiction. What happened during these long hours parents might not have known. Public education was not always a right for children. Curing ADHD is a compelling topic of discussion.

"Where's the Goat"?

As he walked into the storage room containing unsecured dynamite, I wondered where the producers of this early 60's sit com were going with this episode. The innocence of that period in television comedy history was now gone for me, a former little girl of that time..

While watching a rerun of the 50's comedy series, Andy of Mayberry, an adult goat came into view. Why I asked was this innocent creature being featured walking into a room where weapons of mass destruction were being stored like so much dirty laundry? Children had walked nearby, that morning, as did the deputy of the town, Barney Fife. I shivered.

Where was this episode going? What was the lesson here? Nearly all of early T.V.comedy came with lessons, silly or otherwise. I was somewhat bewildered by it all. That poor goat. Barney had figured out what the goat had done and began to plan its escape out of town. The goat was in peril. People could die, too.

The next scene depicted this innocent creature walking slowly out of town. I waited and wondered. Is anyone going to save the goat? Soon I would find out. The explosion in the distance told me of its violent death in a comedic episode. No words required. The ending was done. And so was I. 

In another later series called, MASH, a 70's era comedy series dealing with army life in a mobile hospital unit a goat is seen eating money. The paymaster of the day, Hawkeye Pierce, had left the money lying around in the room. The wages were earmarked for the hospital personnel. Responsibility for the money was Pierce's not the goat's. Proof had to be given that the money was eaten not stolen. How does something like this happen?

“Where's the goat?” she screamed as the leg of the unfortunate animal came spiralling out of nowhere, landing upon the windshield of the van as the T-Rex watched nearby. The audience soon realized the horror of that moment.

It was the week of goats in entertainment. It se easy to commit to a script that denies animals their rights to exist. Does the dog always have to die? In western movies of the 50's and 60's, horses are used in way that have always made me wonder how many died during filming. The falling down of these majestic beasts in these 'choreographed films seemed so dangerous. But what do I know.

In an episode of CSI, long, long ago, the forensic pathologist comments about the reality of horses. There is usually some thing wrong on one end or the other. Extra care should be offered when using animals, regardless of the species. But why does the audience need to see everything?

The other day as I watched the glorious outdoors, an animal was seen walking behind the pen, the former playground of our pets. It was a wild turkey roaming about. I called out to it letting it know that a human was nearby. He heard me then scurried away. I felt sorry for this creature. Did he have a companion, food, a place to live? Poor little guy, I thought. Times have changed and so have I.