Movers, Dreamers, and Risk-Takers

I’m a wee bit late posting this book review.  I have lots of reasons.  I was out of town all weekend for the sitzprobe, piano tech, dress rehearsal, and opening night of the opera I am currently in.  Oh, do you want to see a picture?

Cosi Fan Tutte by Mozart. If it’s not already evident to you, I’m a maid. And I am brilliant. Especially since the chorus only has to sing about 12 minutes of the entire 3 hours.

Anyway, we had to stay in a motel all weekend and I hardly slept a wink. Then I had hoped to sleep today as much as I could, but that was thwarted because I had to go to physical therapy on my foot in the morning and then teach a few lessons.

And-oh!  It’s my husband’s birthday today. So, that meant I actually had to cook him dinner and bake him a cake. And of course he chose his favorite meal in the world: his mother’s famous chicken noodle soup (he really should have been born in the fall).  I have never actually made this particular soup before, so it took a while. And I had to shop for the ingredients and stuff.

So, anyway. That’s why this review is a bit late. So, it’s a super good thing that this book is all about ADHD, because, let’s be perfectly honest, the real reason this review is late is because of my own ADHD.

Had I not been frantically trying to read the book backstage this weekend, and actually planned ahead and finished the book in advance, this review might have been on time. Had I actually asked my husband what he wanted for his birthday dinner before this morning, I might have been a bit more prepared for that and still gotten this review up on time. Had I actually tried to go to bed on time instead of surfing the web until 2 am, even though I always have a doozy of a time sleeping in beds that are not my own, this review would have been up on time.

Or so all the non-ADHD people in the world would tell me. But they’d be wrong.  Because I would have found fifteen other reasons to procrastinate, and then fifteen more after that.  I am the queen of procrastinating.

Procrastination, although often an annoying and self-sabotaging behavior, can serve to increase cerebral arousal. ADHDers often talk about needing intensity in order to get motivated to work. While it may always seem like an unproductive behavior, leaving things until the last minute creates a crisis, which then creates the levels of neurotransmitters and cerebral arousal needed to stimulate the brain enough to focus on the task. This is why many ADHDers function well in jobs that require crisis and intensity.”        ~Kevin Roberts

The fact is, I have ADHD. I hate that it has the word “disorder” in its name, and this book has reaffirmed for me that it is simply a different way of processing the world, not a disorder. There is nothing wrong with me, but I know I can be frustrating to, say, my very not-ADHD husband and mother. I have managed to develop a ton of coping skills throughout my life, and have been pretty successful in school, but let’s not forget that I studied music. And I totally winged my way through high school by the seat of my pants, which is just a fancy way of saying I did not learn normal study skills.

This book is a great read for anyone who either has ADHD or has an ADHDer in their life. I love the thorough look Kevin Roberts (an ADHDer himself) gives on the topic. I had my pen out and underlined so many words of wisdom. I especially liked the chapter on tools for helping those with ADHD. Too often, well-meaning parents and teachers will simply try to force the ADHDer to conform to planning and organization, and it backfires. Kevin Roberts gives many ideas for helping an ADHDer in ways that make sense to the ADHD way of thinking.

Really, it’s just about learning to understand the many different learning and thinking styles we have, ADHD being just one of them. To stop trying to make every person fit into the same box and accept that we all have different ways of processing the world.

Do you have an ADHDer in your life?  Are you one yourself?  Read this book. 

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Claudine

I'm always looking on ways to learn more about ADHD for my hubby and son (and I'm about 95% sure my daughter too, but she's a little too young for an official diagnosis yet!) and every little bit helps. Not having it myself, it's hard to know how to deal with things sometimes, but I'm learning – and finally beginning to understand my husband too! After nearly 12 years, he's finally starting to make sense, most of the time. 🙂 This book sounds like a great read, one that would really help me work with my family. Thanks for reviewing it!

midRae

My middle son has ADD and I have never treated him differently, I just let everyone of his teachers know that he was a sight learner and that if they took a moment and showed him that they would be amazed. He is now 24 years old working towards saving money for college and his future. He has rebuilt an entire engine along with all of the electrical completely on his own and is amazing in his own right. Love this son and it's wonderful to see that only those things that you let hold you back will hold you back.

The Atomic Mom

Although he's never been officially diagnosed, I suspect my dad is ADHD. He has many of the signs. It's made being his child a trying experience to say the least.

Sal Keith

Andrew was diagnosed with ADD about 2 months ago after 7 years of struggling in academic settings. I did not know about the procrastination thing but it fits him perfectly. He is on medicine right now but I am hoping to learn behavioral coping skills he can use so the medicine is not long term

Anne-Marie

I'm not sure if I am, but I am a procrastinator & I waste time getting caught up in other projects when there is a larger project looming over my head…maybe I am now that I think of it. I love your maid costume!

Aly Dosdall

seeing as we have 3 ADHD (and one sort of) out of 5 kids in our house, this book would be well-used if it made it's way to us. we feel the same way–it's not a disorder, just different than "average". wish i had the sense of humor, energy, and stamina my ADHDers have!

Heather J. @ TLC Book Tours

I love that you have found ways to deal with the issues your ADD raises. I think that if more people thought of ADD/ADHD as a tool or ability rather than a disability, we would see a lot more creativity from people with that diagnosis … but that's just my opinion. 🙂

Thanks for being on the tour!

Shirley

I'm on this tour too and found this book very informative and most importantly, positive. I do have an ADHDer in my life, more than one in fact. This book will be a great tool to utilize to further my understanding of their struggles and to celebrate their assets and growth in working with ADHD.

mCat

I need to read this book. And then I need a copy for everyone in my immediate family.

At least we all understand each other and get along bouncing from one thing to another. I just pity anyone that has to spend a significant period of time with us.