I have a thought for the day. I am asking that my blog friends help me pray.
If you've read this blog at all you know I have 3 boys. They are all ADHD, along with their father. Austin has more problems with than the other 2. We've been travelling to Indy every couple of weeks to see a specialist. Well, Austin is now taking one medication in the am, one in the afternoon and one to help him sleep. Jordan is in the process of switching his meds. Austin also goes to therapy for anxiety.
Well, I've been wrestling with something lately. What in the world am I doing to my kids? Am I just choosing to medicate them, rather than train them. I know that they do have a real live problem, and they have excelled academically once they started the original medicine, so they may never be able to stop completley, nor do I plan that at all. However, I don't like giving Austin the afternoon meds at all.
Okay, I have been thinking. You know I am a sinner (saved by grace of course), my kids are sinners, we act like sinners. Why do I think that I can alter the sinful behavior that comes from the condition of their hearts with medication? Now, I know that they do better academically with the meds, but behaviorally not so much. There behavior will not change just by medicating them. I have to, with God's help, train them to accept who they are, and how God made them. He is the only one who can help us with the matters of the heart. God created them, and God doesn't make mistakes, so it is our job as parents to help them accept who our wonderful Sovereign Lord has made them. Please remember my family in your prayers. It is my desire to be a Godly parent, and train my children in Godly ways, to accept our "lot in life", not try to change it. I, however, have to learn to trust God with all things.
Okay, I think I may have gotten my thoughts out in some sort of order. I hope I've not totally confused anyone.
About Me
- Free In Christ
- I have been married to the most wonderful man for 15 years. I have 3 children, all boys. Ages 12-7. I love being a wife and mother, and strive to be more Christ like each day. I've been saved by Grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, and have been delivered from an extremely legalistic, works based religion, and enjoying the freedom in Christ.
2 comments:
I've emailed you -- but before I saw this.
Some questions: how is ADHD diagnosed? Do blood tests show some tangible differences between your children's and the average child's body chemistry?
Or is diagnosis made by the subjective observations of a medical doctor?
What does you husband say?
I completly understand your delima.
It is so hard sometimes!
I had a girlfriend (she has since moved away) who had a severly handicapped son. I will never forget seeing the family in public and the son beginning to make noise that wasn't ok for where we were at. That dad gave that kid one look and he straightened right up! His example taught me a LOT. A lot that was a lot easier to see than do. I would have excused the behavior as being part of the handicap and ignored it or just taken him out. Not the case. That boy had been trained how to behave.
Like I said I've been in your shoes to some degree. I am so very thankful for medicine, but you are right; it does not take the place of addressing the heart and training the child. We just have to work harder at finding the right approach.
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