NEED ADVICE FROM OTHER MOTHERS

I don't really have any advice for you. Sometimes kids have to learn the hard way. My oldest chose that route. The best thing that happened to him was a College visit with the admissions counselor. The Counselor let him know what he had to do to transfer into their school. What grades he needed and such. They listen to others better than us.

So I guess the only suggestion is to take him to a College that he is interested in. Bring a copy of his transcript and let THEM tell him what he needs to do in order to be accepted into the School.

HTH some

Roseanne - I do feel your pain. My son wasn't a good student in HS. I suppose he wasn't horrible compared to some and he was a NCAA qualifier upon graduation.... but not by much! The poorer grades in HS did loose him some options for college. However, because of baseball he did get accepted into many colleges he never would have otherwise.

Your son's coach should be involved in his grades already thru grade checks. My son's HS coach actually made him bring homework to a practice and sit there and do it instead of practicing... made an impact at least short term. It sounds like you're doing everything that you can with tutoring, support, and monitoring. There comes a time in their lives where they have to run with the ball so to speak.

Thank You for your advice, I just feel like I am at my wits end, I want him to experience going away to college. I told him all his friends will be going away to college they have options that because of his lack of caring for school he will not have any options on what college he will be able to go to, it just plain hurts we want what is best for our children and they think we are just nagging them.

Roseanne - I do understand your frustration. It's very upsetting when we feel they're not taking advantage of an opportunity. Honestly, if it wasn't for baseball motivating my son, I often wondered if he would have gotten thru HS... not because of low IQ, but because it just never seemed important to him (at least from my perspective).

I do want to tell you though, that they grow up and often learn the value of good grades. As I said, my son's GPA probably cost him his #1 choice of schools. However, he went to a JUCO where he was Dean's List last year. He is now at a four year and doing well.... not dean's list, but decent grades. What is best of all is that his attitude has so drastically changed. He may not love school, but he's verbalizing to me about his academics, his major, his plans for his life, his desires for his future.... so the lessons you're feeling that might be falling on deaf ears.... probably aren't!

some lessons in life are painful. But, I think showing him in black and white (NCAA requirements, ACT/SAT requirements for the college of his choice, etc) is a good approach. At my house, my Jr son (catcher #1) and 8th grade son (#2) are so smart, but they only apply themselves just enough to keep from being in "mom trouble". #1 was in the gifted program in grade school and now this last semester made his first ever "C" in calculus. Did not make his momma happy at all. He lost his ability to play "world of warcraft"--which is an extremely addicting online video game, but his grades are coming back up now. He was very angry with me, but I think he now realizes how much energy/time he was spending on the game.

I certainly don't know all the answers, #1 is my oldest, but I wouldn't let up on the pressure for schoolwork to be most important. If I had to take either boy out of baseball to get the grades, it would probably kill both of us, but they know and I know that I would do it if I had to.

Best of luck to you, keep the faith that you are doing the right thing.

Yes,...grades are key. You are not alone Roseanne. Many of us have been down this road with our Junior sons. I like the black and white idea. Show him the hard copy of the requirements. Telling him is one thing, showing him is another.

Took a college coach telling a group of athletes
( my son included, his sophomore year ) what the GPA had to be to qualify for a scholarship at his school.

Now of course I had been telling my son THAT exact same standard a bazillion times,... but he really didnt seem to pay much attention.
The coach says it once, outloud, and poof, its now gold in my son's brain. (???) Guess it doesnt really matter how it got there,..just that its finally there!! Yippeeeee,..less stress for meeee!!!

I tape my sons grades in the kitchen every Friday ( from the school parent access web site ) next to the NCAA requirements, ACT/SAT requirements for the college of his choice. Don't usually say much,...he can read.

I can't beg him to do better, but I can show him what its going to take to make his dreams come true.
I have also spoke to him about a plan " B ", should he not make the grades or something falls through. This in and of itself was very persuasive, and I hadn't intended it to be. He didnt like the alternatives. They seemed more tangible than his dreams and for some reason he seemed to understand the alternatives more than the dream, ...talk about motivation to strive for the stars and do whatever it takes to get away from plan " B ".

If possible,... take your son to visit a college of his dreams and then to a college that he doesnt want to go to. Sometimes that can speak volumes to a son. Its a different approach, a visual reality check. The difference in quality of baseball fields can speak wonders too!!!.....oh my goodness, who knew my son could be soooo picky!

I have also been known to take my kids down
to the local Home Depot loading dock, in the sweltering summer heat to bump into their friends who didnt go to college and are now making $11.50 an hour. ( to a 15 year old, that seems like a fortune ) Hmmmmm,....

I have decided this year to be the silent enforcer.
Either he makes the standards, or he doesnt. It is his choice and I have to let loose a little. I cant do it for him,...I cant make it happen. Only he can. I can nag myself to sleep each night, but if its not effective, then yes I have tried, but I have not been successful.
I think down the road my son may perhaps remember the nagging and not my message.
Sometimes we as moms need a different approach to reach our sons. Sometimes us moms just need to hear from other moms that we are not alone. That others of us have been down this road,..and that there is for sure, light at the end of the tunnel! Hugzzzzz!!!
Hang in there Roseanne!!!
Blueberry bread, fresh and warm on the table.....take at least two!!

P.S.

quote:

HTH some

Sue54,...what does the above mean?
Cant figure it.

(Please forgive my ignorance. Perhaps I need another cup of coffee this morning- ha! )

Wow I came to the right place thank you so much for the advice I knew there had to be other women out there in my postion, Well last night I blew up at him cell phone gone after prom party gone and it should hurt now that he has a girlfriend, mind you all his friends are either on the principles list or honor roll. He has been told by coaches, colleges, us, and ex and current major league baseball players I think (so i've been told) that boys it takes longer to sink in and they mature later he is my oldest so will see. Last night I was alittle mean but I think sometimes tough love might help told him all his senior friends are going off to the colleges of there choice and the only place he will go to is the local junior college which has a great baseball program but he doesn't want to go there and also let him know that he will have to take a test to get in. So I think I will take your advice Shortstopmom this weekend and bring him to the local junior college and show him around he has already picked his dream college to go to so maybe seeing the diffrence will wake him up will see. And to top of last night my friend called me and told me the ACT grades are up on the computer new I shouldn't have looked but of coarse I did and he did bad on them. Now my husband just called and said how was he today, because he is pitching and It will be my fault if he pitches bad extra pressure to get my stomach in more knots for today.
Thank You so much for all your advice will let you know how next quarter goes. Keep your fingers crossed for me Thanks again

Hang in there - you are not alone! I have a 19 yr old sophomore in College who had horrible grades in HS - he watched his options fall away but ended up at a small Div 3 school playing baseball. Doing well now and loving it. He says to me now and to his younger brother all the time "Mom, I wish I had worked harder in HS!" However, his younger brother, a sophomore in HS, who was always on the honor role, has decided not to do any work this year (Just enough to play on the baseball team) and I have been going crazy. I have decided to step back and let him make his own decisions and take the consequences, he is old enough. Very hard to do though, but I believe he will pick himself up and do what is necessary and finally listen to his elder brother and to us!

quote:

Originally posted by shortstopmom:
P.S.

quote:

HTH some

Sue54,...what does the above mean?
Cant figure it.

(Please forgive my ignorance. Perhaps I need another cup of coffee this morning- ha! )

LOL. I am slow on those things as well. It means Hope this Helps.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!
( LOL as well!! )
Thank youuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!

I was thinking: H-T-H
Hit the head? No.
Hi to Henrietta? Perhaps.
Hit the homerun? A definate possibility.
Have to hurry? Maybe.

HA!!!!

I have been hesitant at saying anything on the academic front, but the loss of the cell phone and prom after party and such made me feel bad enough to step in.

My son, too, is a pretty good baseball player, who's received a fair amount of interest from college coaches. And my son has had his share of grades issues, that culminated last semester with his being declared academically ineligible to play baseball, this season.

For the life of me I couldn't figure out why a kid with a stack of letters from colleges (including two of his favorite schools) would crash and burn academically during his junior year. I thought "maybe he really doesn't want to play and he just can't bring himself to tell me" or "maybe the stress of being a recruited athlete is getting to him". I grounded him, took his cell phone, took his driving privledges, threatened to cancel his summer season. You name it - I did it.

But I also contacted his new guidance counsellor and discussed my concerns with her. She in turn pulled his transcripts, met with each of his teachers, met with my son, and then called me in. She told me that my son more then likely had a learning disability called Inattentive Attention Deficit Disorder and recommended that I take him to a psychologist for testing. Turns out, she was right.

Most of us are aware of ADHD because its kind of hard to miss hyperactive kids, but Inattentive ADD is commonly missed because the kids tend to be very intelligent and creative, and they don't usually exhibit behaviour problems. Its also frequently missed because kids with Inattentive ADD tend to do very well in subjects that hold their interest - whether due to the subject matter or the teachers way of presenting the material - for some reason they tune in and pull high grades, but in subjects that don't engage them, for whatever reason, they struggle.

If a kid's grades are pretty steady - for example, if they're all B's and C's - that's probably their niche and they're fine. But if the child's grades are all over the place - they score A's and B's in some classes and barely pass others - they may have a problem that's out of their control, but is ridiculously easy to fix.

In my son's case, he pulled straight A's for his first three years of school, then, in 4th grade, he simultaneously went through a significant childhood trauma and changed schools. His grades dropped into the A through C range and we chalked it up to the changes in his life. His grades starting flirting with the occassional D in Junior high and we attributed that to his being a teenager. Then last year, he got an F in Geometry and I had a melt down. He busted his butt and got the grade up and was allowed to play ball, but this year was aweful.

His guidance counsellor and the psycholgist both explained the situation like this: in grades 1-3, my son was in private school and it was very structured. That helped his grades. The childhood trauma may have had an impact, but more than likely the switch to a larger, less structured classroom environment is what contributed to his falling grades, specifically because he had the Inattentive form of ADD. Teachers loved him as a kid, but they, like my husband and I, thought he was being lazy on subjects he didn't care for, and his previous success in private school fed into that philosophy. The reason that he crashed so badly last semester is that he's in upper level honors classes with a high degree of independent study required and, even though he wanted to succeed, and he didn't want us yelling at him or taking away his privledges, the fact is he could not help himself stay focused.

There is, however, a happy ending to this story. Since my son started on medication to help him focus - one simple little pill a day - he is on track to make the honor roll for the first time since he entered high school. He will also be able to explain the situation to college admin counsellors who will be able to look at his transcript and tell when he received his diagnosis.

This may or may not apply to anyone else's son, but I cried the day I apologized to my son for not knowing sooner. As a mom, I could remember all that he'd been through - with my husband and I, with teachers, with coaches - and knowing that it all could have been avoided hurt. But the good news is that we know now, his GPA is on the mend, and he will be going on to college.

Now if I can only get him to clean his room....

Great story thank you for sharing it glad it turned out well for you, well my sons grades have been all over the place for years and I agree with you as for the teacher and the class that will hold his attention. When he was in third grade I had him tested for ADHA by a professional doctor said he was fine but maybe he has what your son has you never know because your story sounds just like my son. Thanks for the great advice I will call look into this and even have him tested you never know. Again Thank You So Much.

KmomNH, awesome post!!! Great eye opener and one that I hope may help others. Thank you for your personal story, and for being so candid and willing to share with the rest of us.
It's stories like these, that show a means to an end, that I truely find exceptional.
Again, thank you.

I agree, this is a great story from KmomNH.

It actually sounds quite a bit like me................

Hmmmm

KMom - Thanks for sharing your son's story. It's quite interesting because I have told people many times that my son's grade depended on if he liked the subject and the teacher. He could have all As and Bs and one random class could be failing. "Grades all over the place" is exactly where he was in HS.

I think your post might be very valuable to many folks out there.

This is my favorite place on this site. We as Moms truly never feel alone. I am a teacher so I know all the tricks and am willing to use them on my own children. No I have no shame! Picture this, week before early signing date, after much pushing prodding and taping articles on his door my son, the "Don't worry mom I am going to play baseball, I'll get anywhere I want" and my husband and I sat down for the discussion. Son all puffed up becase he had nine offers on the table to discuss for college. Son looks them over and says well what about [place college name here] he came to school and it was once of my official offers, Coach has called and he was really interested. Well the D-1 of his dreams had sent a letter stating that they wanted to wait and see how his grades came out for the year and he needed to take the SAT again because he needed to get 27 more points on it. Son was crushed and all we could tell him was "we told you that grades mattered that why they are called "Student atheletes". His statement, I wish I had started caring earlier. Son decided to sign with a DII that had smaller classes. Interestingly enough my sons grades were highest his senior year and he received a call from that Dream Team with a great offer. Son decided to live up to his commitment. What alot of players don"t relize os that you can accept an early signing and make your committment but you still have to get into the school. Son is just about to finish his Freshman year with a gpa of 3.1

Nice story Allaboutbaseball!!!!
Very nice!!! Good advice.
Will print out and set on my HS Junior's desk at home!
Thank you.

quote:

Originally posted by KmomNH:
There is, however, a happy ending to this story. Since my son started on medication to help him focus - one simple little pill a day - he is on track to make the honor roll for the first time since he entered high school. He will also be able to explain the situation to college admin counsellors who will be able to look at his transcript and tell when he received his diagnosis.

You are very fortunate to have the issue resolved so easily. One of my boys was diagnosed in 7th grade (he's a freshman now) and we too discovered the "magic pill". His grades shot up, but he believed it to be at the cost of his social life. He thinks the meds affect his personality, so we have tried many since then to find something that helps the focus without destroying the appetite and flattening his personality (doctor's term). I tried to explain to him that it may not be such a bad thing to flatten the personality while at school but he doesn't agree! So the grades still suffer, but he's happy with is social life! Actually, he is using a patch right now and doesn't affect his appetite. It doesn't give optimal help with his focus, but it is a compromise.

Regarding the original post of this thread, we have fought that battle too. Our junior son has not achieved his potential, especailly as a freshman and sophomore. My husband always say "you can't push a rope". We tried to give him plenty of reasons to do better - both positive and negative incentives - but nothing really helped and we had plenty of miserable evenings. This year has been his best year (and has been our most hands-off year), and actually the first time he has made the honor role. He probably will not get into his top choice college (Texas A&M), but we firmly believe that God has good things for him wherever he ends up. He's a great kid and we focus on that whenever we get discouraged that he doesn't have a great GPA.

I have decided that parenting teenagers is not for the faint of heart!

Thank you lattelady for bringing me to this thread. You and I have been recently corresponding via email and now I find through this post we have more in common.

My oldest, a Senior this year, was diagnoised with Inattentive ADD his Freshman year of HS. Up until this point we attributed issues like bad time management skills, average grades and forgetfulness to being "a boy". In time and after putting it all together with the help of my sister in law we decided to have our son tested.

Mind you it wasn't an easy choice because my husband was very anti "medicating" due to the press on such medications and I think he feared the "stigma". After lots of internet searches and some verbal disagreements w/my husband we came to an agreement to go the medication route.

When we started our son on Adderall it was like a light bulb going, his grades went up, he was focused on work and some of his forgetfulness (losing things, forgetting what task he was on, etc) was taken away. The downside was similar to what lattelady said about some social skills were affected, his friends noticed it first he was just a bit flat, not zombie just more removed, I thought he seemed more focused and more mature.

Anyway, he wasn't a social butterfly to begin with and he was thrilled that school was coming to him easier, he was retaining more in a shorter period of time and his confidence increased because of the school success. There were issues with appetite and that concerned us esp. when he was burning off some many calories through baseball. After several months on the medication we started to see some negative affects in moodiness as the medication esp. when the medication was wearing off (called rebounding) so we decided to go off it. Since we only used it during the week and it was close to summer we knew it was a good time to go off of it and see if it was hormones or the medication.

It was the medication so we were at a crossroads do we seek out something else, try a different dosage or go back to the old ways. After speaking to the Dr. and to our son we decided to try a different form of medication and so far it has worked, it isn't as strong so the major changes are no longer so major but it works and we don't have the side effects.

The key to the story is if you try a medication and it works but there are some side effects then research other types like we did and lattelady did or ask about dosages because there are sooo many forms out there and you have to find which one works for you, if it is something your son/daughter needs.

It isn't magic, it isn't a cure all it is just a little assistance that can make those with is type of learning issue perform better while in school. We all want our kids to do well in school, in sports and in life and if they have this issue w/inattentiveness then it is best addressed to ensure they can continue on a track of success.

Good luck to you in your search for answers. It might be just teenage days, it might be inattentiveness it might be just an off year in school, what ever it is he is lucky to have a mom that is concerned and willing to help guide him and find some answers.

And Welcome Aboard Lattelady

I have read that about 1 out of 20 students has ADD, and a slightly higher proportion of student-athletes (maybe because ADD often has some element of the hyperactivity of ADHD with it, so these young men are attracted to physical activity). And I'm adding myself to the list of moms with a baseball playing son who struggled with grades and was diagnosed somewhat late with ADD (summer before senior year of HS).

My husband also was very opposed to medication and concerned about labeling or stereotyping. My son decided not to take medication in HS, and not to seek any special accomodations for classwork, test taking, etc. Only a couple of teachers were aware that he was diagnosed ADD (one was the teacher whose advice led to us getting him tested after suspecting ADD for many years).

Anyway, he finished HS with a GPA a little above a C, but got a decent ACT score, and was accepted to all the colleges he applied to (two D2's and one D3 ... the D1 that would have been his first choice was out of the question grade-wise). His first two years at the D3 he still chose not to take medication, and managed to keep his grades just above 2.0, but it was a constant struggle. Finally at the end of his soph year of college as he was studying for finals, staring at the pages of a book while the facts were just flying around in the air and his mind drifted in many different directions, he called me and asked to make an appointment in the summer to seek medication. His college GPA did slip to a 1.98 after those finals (putting him on probation for baseball eligibility).

He tried two medications that summer and found that the second one (Adderall) was best for him. He has brought his grades back up above 2.0 this year, and is making progress toward a degree.

If anyone thinks they see their son in some of the descriptions above ... it could be normal teenage boy behavior, but you can find questionnaires online that will give you a better idea of whether you might want to have your child tested.

Julie

Julie,

I realize this is not necessarily my place to post, but I have to tell you, your post was born of honesty and could only be made to help others. You have my utmost respect. Nobody has a clue what someone else's kid's GPA is but you made that information available to help others. I hope people realize you are the hsbbweb's greatest asset

Dan

When I first wrote about what I was going through with my son I was nervous but whoelse to share it with but other Mothers who are also goig through what I am, I thank everyone who has shared there stories and opened up there hearts and souls because this is not an easy subject to speak about. I wish all the best for our sons and have learned alot from all of your stories. As it is the night before my son is taking his SAT the knot is back in my stomach but I am at ease knowing that other Mothers have been in my shoes and we can only hope for the best from our children. I have an appointment with a Doctor next week so I hope I get some answers.
Thank You,
Roseanne

This may be a late posting but it has worked for me. Many times our words go in one ear and out the other. For me, I have a few times when I had a issue regarding my son, I would call his coach who he respected or a teacher who he likes and let him know what I was up against. They in-turn would talk to him without him knowing I called. How amazing it the words of a coach/teacher would get through to him and it was all their idea. Their role models can help! Hope this helps.

I have two boys, one to whom everything seems to come easily--athletics and academics and social life. And the other who struggles every step of the way.

He's a good athlete, but not very focused. He is well liked by classmates, but impulsive and unsure of himself. He often shows a great gift for language related academics (his writing has actually been published in a commercial magazine) but his grades are all over the place, math is not intuitive, and he is very disorganized. We had him tested by an educational psychologist, then had him evlauated by a psychiatrist for his inattention and impulsiveness. He is not hyperactive, but he does have serious issues of inattention, as well as some learning differences that require specific tutoring.

He is allowed extra time on standardized tests (like Iowas, ACT and SAT) as well as some classroom tests because he has documented evidence of processing speed challenges and sequencing/memory deficiencies. He now takes a low dose medication and has a tutor who understands his challenges, and works in tandem with his teachers. We are still fine-tuning his best learning style and his best method for staying organized and on top of things. We're lucky we began this in 6th grade. Medication brought an almost immediate change in classroom focus, according to his teachers. The organization and study skills parts are slowly falling into place.

All that to say have your son tested ASAP. He may merit getting some extra time on those big tests, but you must provide documented evidence of need. A tutor focusing on the right things might make a big difference in his understanding of material and ability to do work and stay organized. Don't wait! It takes time for everything to come together.

Ladies,
I have to jump on board this one! I have two children, the oldest is a 20+ year old college student. After a seriously poor freshman college year, my kid, full of questions, decided on her own to make an appointment with our family doctor. After an evaluation, our doctor said, absolutely, ADD was a possiblity. Went through further testing to find signifigant Inattentive ADD. This was like a lightning bolt hitting our family! First, elation, at realizing the reason for all of the academic struggles, then guilt for having let our child struggle for all of the past school years, then a lot of reading on the subject.

What we found was this...We as parents did a lot of things right. We were at every parent teacher conference, we spoke to counselors, and administrators in every school. We asked every day about homework, and offered help, support, tutoring, and even organizational, and test taking classes. Never during any of this did anyone suggest the possibility of a learning difference. I believe this is because our child was never a behavioral problem, and by giving her such a huge amount of support with her school work, we were able to keep her grades high enough to keep her from being seen as a student in need of help. Now I realize that other families don't usually have to support their students to that extent. It's hard work for the whole family!

The fall she went off to college, all of this support stopped. She was responsible for for all that we'd been helping with before. It just didn't work. Finally we found what had been there all along, a learning problem.

After our first child's diagnosis, we really took a long look at our second child. A lot of the same issues are there. He is a much different kid, but we're using this information as best we can to see that he has an easier time of it.

I need to continually remind myself that I have wonderful, bright kids, who learn in a different way. What makes school more difficult for them now, might benefit them later in their lives. We are raising kids in a time of super-achieving kids. It's so hard not to compare your own child to the 4.0+ students who are just coming out of the woodwork around here! Of course, I'll always be pushing them along, but I try to love, and appreciate them for who they are. I see a bright future for both of them. My goal is happy, healthy, self sufficient adults.

MN-Mom and quillgirl - your sons sound exactly like my eldest. Luckily my son was diagnosed in kindergarten with central auditory processing problems (very similar symptoms to ADD). After trying many different medications which all made him feel horrible we decided not to medicate at all. He had a tough time in HS but we tutored and helped all the way and spec. ed. did a great job. He got into a very nice Div. 3 school and is doing really well. However, to help him with studying for exams etc. sitting finals, SAT's etc. the doctor suggested trying Focalin. It is a short term (4-5 hours) ADD medication and my son does well on it. If other medications have side effects you might try this.

I see a lot of good advice and helpful stories here. I kind of want to expand on part of it that has already been mentioned - that there are bright sides to ADD, including creativity and "thinking outside the box", which can be very useful if the right career is chosen.

This is a little awkward for me to say, but here goes ... there seems to be a genetic/inheritance factor with ADD. I grew up in a family of 5 kids (4 girls, 1 boy) who were all above-average intelligence. Two of the girls tested as borderline genius but were often disorganized and somewhat scatter-brained, making life sometimes a little difficult. Both of those bright girls grew up into successful professionals who often shined in their careers but sometimes struggled with details and organization, and were finally diagnosed in their 40s with ADD. I'm one of those two sisters who found out rather late in life why things sometimes seemed harder than they needed to be. I'm also a very happy and blessed mom of 2 boys, one with ADD and one a non-ADD straight-A student. And I'm a small business owner and a programmer-designer-Web developer for a Fortune 500 company. In previous jobs as a manager, I sometimes was not "playing to my strengths", but in a creative/ technical job, I am just having a wonderful time. (BTW, the other sister became a college teacher and then VP of the college.)

So if you do see your kids in the posts above, or if your child has already been diagnosed, please do not despair and don't let them despair. Tell them that most school situations are not set up to "play to their strengths", but that a degree is still worth working for. With it, they can choose a career in the future that does allow them to shine! Make sure they know that they can be a very successful, happy, even well-paid adult, if they work hard at finding the right fit for them. Best wishes to all of your kids who learn differently.

Julie

I absolutely agree with you - it does seem to be genetic - my husband definitely has some form of ADD and so do I, never diagnosed. We both were very successful at work and are happy in life and although were never good at school we didn't let it interfere with what we wanted to do. My eldest son is incredibly social, talented, athletic and fun and great to be around. Don't let your kids get down on themselves just because they are not great students, just make sure they make the most of their talents. Some of the most successful people I know have all sorts of different learning difficulties - it never stopped them!

Thank You so much all that have given me advice on my sons grades and a great big Thank You for KMOMNH for without your help I wouldn't have known about a learning disability called Inattentive Adhd went to the doctor and just finised his testing and the results are my son does have Inattentive Adhd so at least we will be able to get him on the right track for his Senior year. Again I thank You ALL for the great advice you have giving to me. Next rode figuring out if I give him medicine or not? Do I have it noted on his high school record? And of coarse his comment was thanks for punishing me all those years, I told him more then half were justified you didn't do your homework!!!! The Doctor made a great point to him telling him he has to study and do homework if I choose the medicine route and gave an example sluggish kid on your baseball team or a kid that is a go getter who are you going to pick to be on your team with you, you have to work at it thought that was priceless to use baseball as an example. Thanks again to all who has given me advice.

I am late on this posting, but thought I would throw in my 2 cents. My son was diagnosed, after a lenghtly testing process to rule out various things, with ADHD at the age of 7. When I learned of the diagnosis I was relieved to finally know and understand what was going on, but I was also concerned. After much debate, my husband I decided to go the medication route.

He has now just completed his freshmann year in high school. I worried all those years ago if he would ever get this far! He is a very bright kid who just learns a little differenly than others. He struggles with organization and will probably never be a straight A student but he excels in other areas. He is creative, funny, caring, fun to be around, and athletic.

I guess the point to all of this is that ADHD is just a part of the puzzle. There are sooooo many other pieces that fit togther to make the complete person.