[Symptom Free] - Being Different Is Both An Honor And An Unfair Responsibility

Being Different Is Both An Honor And
An Unfair Responsibility
By, Dr. Rory Stern

This past Tuesday night, I was the invited guest speaker at ADDClasses(dot)com. The talk I gave was called: Parenting Essentials: ADHD Or Not - "I Am About To Ask You To Throw ADHD Out The Window."

The whole point of the talk was really to look at understanding differences. If I had to really summarize the presentation, it would look like this:

"We are all different, each and every one of us. Some have it harder than others, and the challenge lies within finding the delicate balance of who we are and how we overcome our greatest challenges."

One of the questions I received, at the end of the night, was perfect. For me, it underlined the entire reason I was giving the talk. (And no - I didn't plan for it to happen this way).

The question: "Dr. Stern, do you have ADHD? And if not, how do you think you can help someone who does?"

This is a fair question...and a very good question.

Those of you who know me, or have gotten to know me over the last several weeks and months, probably know how I would have answered this...

I thanked the listener for her question. And I let her know that while I have said I do not have ADHD - I fully recognize, understand, and embrace the differences I have in life. We know that there are many things that look an awful lot like ADHD... And we know that there are a lot of different circumstances in life (and reactions to life) that can make someone exhibit the characteristics of ADHD.

I'll be the first to raise my hand and shout out loud that I am different... I am! I just understand the context of my differences as being a "gifted" individual...another "condition" professionals don't really understand.

***The Key: Understanding your differences so they work for you or your child is what we need to focus on! Labels mean nothing without context and understanding.

An Honor & An Unfair Responsibility

Before taking that question, I shared the following list of how being different means living a life that can be (and often is) a double-edged sword:

Passion Vs. Boredom
Intelligence Vs. Results
Strengths Vs. Weaknesses
Positive Vs. Negative
Disorder Vs. Differences
Outside Vs. Inside

Why am I talking about all of these? It's quite simple... What do you focus on, and what are you teaching your children to focus on?
Let's see if we can pick this discussion up next week and get a little more in-depth.