...A-Train is my six-year-old step-son. He's the middle child in the family...and today, he put into words something I wish every ADHD kid had the words for. I should clarify that A-Train is NOT diagnosed with ADHD. He's only six after all, and while we have our suspicions, he doesn't seem to be impaired in a way that, at this point, requires "diagnosis". A common interaction however:
"Can I ride my scooter?"
"Yes, but don't go in the road."
"Okay!" He turns, jumps on scooter, rides directly into the street.
"A-TRAIN!"
"What!?" He rides around in circles.
"I said don't go in the road!"
"What?" Still riding in circles.
This evening, we're sitting at the table eating dinner and he stands up next to his chair. He wiggles a little and then exclaims, exasperated "OH GEEEEEEEEEEZ!", doubles over, smiles, grimaces, wiggles again.
"A-Train...what's wrong!"
"Ohhhhhh, my bwain is TELLING my body to go CWAAAAZYYYYYY!"
"What does that mean?"
"It means I can't stop my body from going CWAZZZYYYYY!", as he does a wild wiggle dance all over the kitchen.
"Oh man...that's rough. It's just telling you to go craaaazy like that?"
"YESSSS!".
Geez...well I let that kid wiggle all over the kitchen. Because you know why? I was absolutely delighted that 6-year old was able to use his words to explain exactly what was going on with him, and why he was being such a little weirdo during dinner. I was also TOTALLY getting what he was saying. He was saying "I have to move and I don't know why!". If this continues to be an issue for him, I'm certainly not going to give him a complex about it. If it's an issue as he gets older, I'll just help him find "acceptable fidgets" that will help him out when he's in public and just has to get cwaaaaazy. I use them myself, so I'm expertly qualified to help him problem solve THAT action!
But for now, I was just proud of him that he was able to articulate himself so well. He wiggled, he got it out of his system, and then he came back to the table and had some ice cream.
"Can I ride my scooter?"
"Yes, but don't go in the road."
"Okay!" He turns, jumps on scooter, rides directly into the street.
"A-TRAIN!"
"What!?" He rides around in circles.
"I said don't go in the road!"
"What?" Still riding in circles.
This evening, we're sitting at the table eating dinner and he stands up next to his chair. He wiggles a little and then exclaims, exasperated "OH GEEEEEEEEEEZ!", doubles over, smiles, grimaces, wiggles again.
"A-Train...what's wrong!"
"Ohhhhhh, my bwain is TELLING my body to go CWAAAAZYYYYYY!"
"What does that mean?"
"It means I can't stop my body from going CWAZZZYYYYY!", as he does a wild wiggle dance all over the kitchen.
"Oh man...that's rough. It's just telling you to go craaaazy like that?"
"YESSSS!".
Geez...well I let that kid wiggle all over the kitchen. Because you know why? I was absolutely delighted that 6-year old was able to use his words to explain exactly what was going on with him, and why he was being such a little weirdo during dinner. I was also TOTALLY getting what he was saying. He was saying "I have to move and I don't know why!". If this continues to be an issue for him, I'm certainly not going to give him a complex about it. If it's an issue as he gets older, I'll just help him find "acceptable fidgets" that will help him out when he's in public and just has to get cwaaaaazy. I use them myself, so I'm expertly qualified to help him problem solve THAT action!
But for now, I was just proud of him that he was able to articulate himself so well. He wiggled, he got it out of his system, and then he came back to the table and had some ice cream.
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