“You have a Ferrari race car for a brain….but there’s one problem. You have bicycle brakes.”
Told to a child with ADHD by Dr. Edward M. Hallowell
Good morning!
There is so much negativity surrounding a diagnosis of ADHD. Parents are told how their child will struggle in school because they are so stubborn, how impulsive they will be, how they will be easily distracted by everything around them and many more negative words to describe what everyone considers to be a disorder. As a parent of three children with ADHD I know how disheartening it to hear all of this and then wonder “How will my child ever succeed?”.
Over the years I have come to realize that ADHD can be looked at as a gift. One that may take some time and effort to unwrap but a gift nonetheless As Dr. Hallowell says in our quote today, children (and adults) with ADHD have Ferrari race car brains. Not a Chevrolet brain, not a Dodge brain, not even a Cadillac brain. They have Ferrari race cars brains. The problem is, that they have bicycle brakes. What they can achieve is limitless if they learn how to strengthen their brakes.
Learning to strengthen their brakes takes time and patience and a whole lot of love and support from their parents. It takes parents and teachers working together for the good of the child. It takes looking at ADHD as a a gift and not a liability. It means changing our mindset and changing the words we use to describe ADHD.
So…Instead of saying that our child is distractible we can say that they are curious. Instead of being impulsive we can say that they are creative. Instead of being stubborn we can say they are persistent, and the list goes on. If we look at ADHD as a gift then so will our children and instead of thinking that they have a “disorder” they will be thrilled with having a Ferrari brain!
Have some fun today!
peggy
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