Brain Damage?

Just a note... Is there something wrong with my kids?

Here is a classic example of daily life with my kids: I was driving home from an out-of-town Thanksgiving gathering yesterday, snoozing in the passenger seat, when I hear my 10-year-old son pipe up, "Mom?"

I don't answer. I try to go back to sleep. My eyes are closed, head resting on the window. I should look asleep.

He says again, "Mom?"  

I guess he didn't get the message. Body language is not his forte.

My husband says to my son, "mom is sleeping." Pretty self-explanatory, right? No dice.

"Mom?"  Grrr. I'm not giving in. I AM SLEEPING, DAMMIT. Or at least I was.

My husband comes to the rescue. "She is SLEEPING! That means BE QUIET!"

Ah, finally, silence.  But I'm awake now. I'll never show it, though.


I am told this is a sign of "impulsivity" inherent in ADHD, but to me it is just simply idiotic. I'll never say that to my kids, of course. I remember all too well my dad's frustrated outbursts of "What's wrong with you? Are you retarded?" I must have made just as much (or little) sense to him as my kids do to me.  I'll just continue to pray for patience, something I don't have in great abundance.

(illustration: Family on a car trip by Sharon Watts)