Time Out

I read an article recently by Debbie Phelps, mother to Michael Phelps.   My feelings towards Michael Phelps have always been indifferent, I honestly didn't know much about him other than he was an olympic swimmer who went a little wild.   Previously before reading his mom's article I read about how Michael Phelps had hit rock bottom a few years ago and was turning his life around, giving his life to Christ.   I didn't know that Michael had ADHD.   His mom's article left me nodding my head in silent agreement and tearing up at what felt like an article written about my own son and our battles.  
You can read that article here http://www.everydayhealth.com/adhd/living-with-adhd/mylife/debbie_phelps/landing.aspx

You've heard me gripe, cry, whine many times before about ADHD.  It's hard and it's real.  It isn't a discipline issue, it's a problem my son struggles with day in and day out that has left him with little to no friends and constantly warming the seat in the principal's office.   I've always been my son's biggest advocate and I always will be even if that makes me the nagging mom constantly seeking what's best for him.   I will never stop sharing with the world how real and how hard ADHD is until the world realizes that ADHD is real and not just a misdiagnosed behavior problem.    

Did you know that children/teens who struggle with ADHD also struggle with low self esteems and depression, often secluding themselves because being a friend and finding a friend is one of the biggest challenges in front of them?   It's true and it's real and I am watching it daily in my son.   Over the last two years I've watched my son go from happy go lucky to I just want to be home with my family.   We've pushed him to play sports and were blessed by an amazing baseball team this year but overall we still continue to watch our son grow to love playing in the comforts of his home versus going out and making a friend.   He lacks the self-esteem and the confidence he needs to try new things.  

Over the last 9 days I've watched my son interact more with a  tablet and the TV than with humans.  I realized I've created this problem and now I have to fix it.   I've gone around and around with this decision but today realized that I have to fight for my son.   I refuse to let him fail and long to see him succeed.   So that being said, this family is taking a technology time out and this terrifies us.  For 30 days Dave and I will be giving up Facebook and our son will be pulling the plug on the TV and his tablet.   I'm not sure how this is going to impact us but my prayer is that it draws us closer together and most importantly closer to God.

Won't you pray for our family over these next 30 days that we can grow?