Does This Sound Like Anyone You Know?

His dad said he wouldn't have wished his child on his worst enemy. His dad goes on to explain how his son drove him crazy, from sun up to sun down it was non-stop action. Every day was a million questions. They could not do anything as a family because they were always out searching for this kid. He was never where he was supposed to be, he wouldn't sit still in school, his parents contemplated renting office space at the school because they were there so much. Know what I'm saying?

The mom of another child said that her kid drove her nuts. He had so much energy and she couldn't keep up with him. He too asked question after question. Boundless energy.

Another mother said her son was exhausting. He had too much energy. He would even fidget out of his clothes at school.

I know how this ends, and seeing both sides of it I think they are humorous stories from their childhood. But living it everyday is another story. We have a boy that is 100 miles an hour or he's fast asleep. He literally climbs the walls, runs in circles, inquires about anything he sees, or hears, or thinks of.

Our stated goal as foster parents is to socialize our foster children, and make them fit in and become normal. This is why most of them come with medication. It is not just in foster care that we are trying to chill everyone out. Now, I can only imagine what 10 boys like I described would do to a classroom. I don't advocate allowing them to be disruptive because ADD worked out well for others. I do think that we as parents, teachers, coaches and other involved adults need to find more constructive ways to deal with their energy than Ritalin.

The first kid I described was the late Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin. No surprise there that he was a little out of control as a child, he was out of control as an adult. Can you imagine trying to keep him in the boat as a child. His dad's worst enemy wouldn't have taken him. Steve's dad did say in the very next sentence, that as an adult he wouldn't have traded him for the world. He just had to channel ALL of that energy into something that his child was passionate about.

The second kid I described was Michael Phelps, his mom said swimming was the only thing that slowed him down a little, and he's competing in his third Olympics and trying to get 8 gold medals this time around. Again, his mom found some positive way to channel his energy.

The last, is every body's favorite, Ty Pennington. He appears on TV every week, yelling and jumping around like he's on fire. And that's on medication. Can you imagine how crazy he'd be without it? Again, he found a passion and channeled his energy and he's done ok for himself.

I struggle everyday to keep up with the four year old in our house. I know it would take little more than a phone call and he could be medicinally under control. I don't want that for him. I just need to get him in the pool, or chasing crocodiles, or maybe he can start repainting all the walls that he's already decorated. I need to find something that will slow him down so that I can keep up with him.