A Lightbulb Moment

I was reading my friend Carrie's blog yesterday, and I learned something new about ADHD.  Her son was recently diagnosed with ADHD (something my oldest son has).  As she and her husband were talking to the psychologist about the disorder, he taught them something I haven't heard yet.  These are Carrie's words:

"First, ADHD is due to a lack of dopamine. It is dopamine that creates the sense of satisfaction. That is why my son is always anxious to know what is next. He isn’t satisfied with the moment." 

I never knew that this was one of the behaviors exhibited by kids with ADHD. All this time, I thought that Dylan was just really...entitled. Haha! He always wanted something more. Something greater. Something bigger. I'm glad to have gotten more enlightenment to understand my little man better. I always thought, "Why isn't what he just got, or what he just experienced, enough for him??"  I felt like he was ungrateful.  And I worried that people I'm close to (since I really don't care what, like, strangers in the store think of me) thought I was being a bad parent, since it must seem that I spoil him a lot if nothing is ever enough, or if he wants something immediately after getting something.  

I'm not saying that I'm glad I have an excuse for his behavior.  I'm always going to teach him to be grateful and to appreciate the experiences he's had or the gracious gifts he's been given.  I'm always going to nudge him and tell him to say thank you.  But it just helps me to understand that this is yet another facet of the myriad of symptoms that are a part of ADHD.  

You can see Dylan's nasty Corn Nut teeth through his Halloween mask.  Sad.

Thanks, Care, for educating me a little bit more.

And guuurrrrrl, you lookin' good for having five kids.  Dang.  Now your blog needs to teach me how to do that. :)