Just ask my husband. Today, a 5th grade student was sent to school without her meds. We can deal with her until she starts eating her class assignments but she is super emotional and just all over the place much like a goat on crack.
I had to speak with Little Miss Out of Meds this morning in the hallway as she skidded to a stop outside the bathroom. On her knees.
She began to cry - which was my clue to her lack of meds. Since it was so early in the day, I decided to call her mother to see if she could run the medicine up to the school. The mother agreed and asked for me to have the child in the office to save time.
Little Miss Out of Meds spread her stuff out over three desks sat in the office working on undoing the braids in her hair an assignment until the mother arrived.
Mother: “Well, look at you! You look like Buckwheat!”
Little Miss Out of Meds (beginning to tear up again): “Momma. Why do you make fun of me? I didn’t mean to mess it all up!”
Mother: “Then quit messing with your hair. And look at your school work. It looks like you wrote with your foot!”
Little Miss Out of Meds (really working up a good cry): “I wish I had a different mother! A nice mother wouldn’t make fun of my feet.”
Apparently, her feet write neater than her mother will give them credit for.
Next time, I am totally checking that out.
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28 comments:
lol. most of the kids i work with are on meds...you can definitely tell when they have missed them. fun times. fun times.
awwwww...poor thing! The knee slide was probably SWEET until she looked up to see the principal there - ha!
Your post would have been funnier if I had adjusted my own meds accordingly. Without a martini, I found it to be just hauntingly sad.
poor child. It makes me sad when mothers caught in the act of forgetting something to do with their child, or are just plain embarrassed by their child, make fun of the child. UGH. It always leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Years ago, I did hair and one day a boy sat in my chair covered in lice and nits. I couldn't touch him once I discovered the critters. His mother, after shopping returned for him. When I told her he appeared to have a possibly contagious condition ( I was not allowed to diagnose) she went on and on about him not washing his hair and him being dirty. She was shaming him. Inside I was disgusted with her, but what could I say. Kids get lice. Some kids get lucky with a mom and some do not.
poor kid
mom sounds like a bigger hurdle for the child to overcome than than the adhd
This is sad and I feel sorry for the child big time!
Topical for me, since this is the second day in a week that I had to be absent from my class for unbloggable reasons...
On BOTH days, gerbil-boy showed up unmedicated. Last week, when his tic-tac needing parent brought the emergency dose in, she literally said: "Here, I brought the little *sshole his meds*.
Today he was so bad, I was sure my assistant will quit on me, since she was on her own (my other assistant was out too- ouch). She says she'll stay. I love her so.
Oh gosh, rambling, 1 hour of sleep will do that to a girl...
xxoo
I think you should have asked the mom if she had had HER meds.
How sad for the little girl. I hope I am a better parent than that.
Sounds like mom is adding to the problem! So much of this is not the girl's fault at all.
I think that the Mom was on some kind of meds! I think she needs to be treated for DU MB
Do not discount how important those meds are.I can't tell you how many times I have heard "did you take your adderall".Really, it is hard to control the short distance from my mouth to my brain.I think therefore I say.
Mr Strong
That's just really atrocious. To quote one of my favorite films:
"You need a license to have a dog. Hell, you even need a license to catch a fish. But they'll let any butt-reaming asshole be a [parent]."
I could so NOT do your job.
SEE! YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH IT!
Sigh.
Loved the "eating her paper" bit. Too true.
The last part of the comment by The Things We Carried is right on: "Some kids get lucky with a mom and some do not".
Brian - Yes! For some kids, the difference is like night and day.
Kulio - The look on her face was priceless. I wish I had had my camera.
Unindicted Co-Conspirator - It is a little sad - but the mother really is supportive. The girl is rather dramatic. Especially without her meds.
The Things We Carried - How sad that a mother would shame a child for being dirty! That is the parent's job to get them clean.
CoffeeJitters - Really, the mom is supportive. She is a single mom and rarely forgets the meds.
darsden - I feel sorry for the kid for being sooo adhd. Still, she is smart, funny, and entertaining.
movie - I want to take gerbil boy home! I can't stand when parents are hateful to their kids.
moll - Mom probably needs meds to deal with the child 24/7.
rxBambi - When my son had to take meds, I don't remember ever forgetting to give it to him. Then again, I'm super anal and mornings are rarely rushed and hurried.
Jason - Fortunately, the girl has rarely been without her meds.
otin - A new disorder!
Mr. Strong - I love you! And I'm soooo happy that you take your Adderall. Good boy!
Jan - True, true. But this mom is supportive of the school and the child (she just uses humor). I've seen far too many parents who don't care. At least this parent cares.
Daniel - She really did eat paper once. It was sad!
TechnoBabe - I have some really sad cases at school. It really isn't fair that those kids are in those pitiful situations.
Oh DEAR God. I wish we were allowed to just dispense them at will.
Jules - Me, too! And you meant for the teachers and parents, too, right?
I don't know how you feel about ADHD drugs, but do you think part of her problem could have been the withdrawal from a fairly addictive drug rather than her 'condition' itself?
I worry about giving kids some of these drugs - Ritalin and its relatives in particular are pretty much just speed.
It's really rare for people to appreciate the feet writing talents in others these days.
I blame society.
HOLY CRAP! mr. Strong has adderall!??!! You've been holding out on me!
Ah. Poor little thing.
Is it so bad that I crack up at this stuff! Seriously I wish when I go back to teaching I could work at your school, lol!
That poor girl. Maybe that mom needs a vacation....I want to give her the benefit of the doubt, but I don't like it. She needs to have some time to think about things.
A Free Man - Actually, I'm not a big fan of all the meds. I think a lot of parents and teachers really want a "be good" pill - but we all know that doesn't exist. This topic is a slippery slope to me landing on a soap box. Better back away...
Michel - Feet writing talents are underappreciated! And the Adderall helps Mr. Strong with his OTM Disease (On The Mind and Out The Mouth). Not sharing.
Pseudo - The good news is she ended up having a great day!
Midwest Mommy - I thought it was funny, too. If we can't laugh, we might cry.
Susan - The mom is a single mom and she seems to have a grip on things. Fortunately, she doesn't forget very often.
crap. to turn this post around to be about me...she cries really easily? i have a 9yo son who has mild adhd and borderline general anxiety disorder. i have been noticing that the crying and scattered-ness are getting worse. i didn't know crying went with adhd, too. damn. my poor baby.
I've sent my son without his meds before. It usually happens about once a year. I hate myself when that happens, because he just has no control and is like Tigger on crack. Not pleasant. And he gets all emotional. Yikes.
Oh, Kathy - your Tigger-on-crack comment got me. The gerbil in my class can be like that. xxoo
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