i read through these threads and i find some of them so depressing its hard to deal with. all i know is that meds help me and my child enormously. they help us be calm and centered. my advice to others is to do what is best for YOU AND YOUR KIDS! don't listen to people who say meds are bad if they help you. i feel the benefits outweigh the risks. having a calm and peaceful life is alot better than the choas of life without meds. as i tell others; if our kids were diabetic we wouldn't hesitate to give them insulin to save them would we? meds help some, maybe not others. do what is best for you, relax and don't worry about things. if your morning goes hectic and kids act up. stop, take a deep breath and give them five minutes of your time just to listen and calmly talk to them. if they are late, they're late. they learn by doing! they learn from natural consequences. screaming and yelling, begging and crying won't help. being calm and relaxed will. the world won't end if our kids are late, or forget something, or miss homework sometimes. big deal. life is short, relax and calm down. i guess what i am trying to get out is that we shouldn't sweat the small stuff cause at the end of the day nothing (other than our kids and our happiness matters) life is short, give your kid a BIG HUG EVERYONE! and if teachers or others hassle you just calmly say your doing your best and if they can do better than they are more than welcome to help in a positive and loving way. cheers everyone and happy new year

Yes, I agree!

I love your attitude! My little guy is just turning 5 and dealing with all the issues of a child with ADHD. Thanks to you, I am going to start the new year with a renewed attitude. Sometimes it just takes a little nudge to remind us of what is really important. Happy New Year.

I was once one of those people who told people they shouldnt put there kids on Ritalin its just a behavioral issue. Until the Teacher told my my son would not pass the second grade because his head is in the clouds. He is on 5 MG of ritalin now and excelling in class. I went and got checked out since it is heriditary and found I have had it my whole life. I have ADD and social anxiety disorder. I am on Ritalin and Paxil it is funny how God makes you eat your words some times :nono:. I know people who have tried the counseling method for there children it has had poor outcomes. from my understanding ADD is a chemical imbalance, why struggle when you dont have to?