Natural First

I talked to my SIL who I depend on for good advice due to the fact she has a master's degree in social work and has worked with many foster kids, and she recommends that I try all the natural alternatives first, particularly since Ritalin has been known to stunt growth and Blondie is on growth hormones as it is.

Blondie has been doing very well on her growth hormones and has grown about eight inches since we started her treatment. I certainly don't want to jeopardize that. If anyone has had any success with natural ADHD treatments, I'd love to hear from you.

ADHD?

The counselor wants to medicate Blondie for ADHD. I described Blondie's behavior to her, and the more I talked the more she said I was describing classic ADHD symptoms. There are so many reasons that I don't want to medicate her. First, I believe that ADHD is over-diagnosed and that too many children are medicated because they are fiesty and energetic and have tired teachers and parents who don't know how to handle them. Second, Blondie's birth family abused drugs and I don't want to set the example for Blondie that we fix our problems with medication.

But nothing else has worked. We have pleaded and punished and rewarded, and she's about the same. She functions only in the moment she is in, with no regard for past or future consequences. We're worn out and she most likely is too. It's to the point that we dread being around her, all of us except Bubbles, who puts up with her due to loyalty, love, habit and necessity.

That's not the life I want for Blondie. I want her to be happy, successful, and adored by her family. So I'm giving in. We're going to try medication and see if it helps.