medication

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I'm just curious...those of you who medicate, when did you first start--what

age, and for what symptoms?

I've had a really bad day today so the following is kind of rant like and

probably very onesided but I just have to vent.

Do any of you have suggestions for ways to encourage activities that

involve sitting and working on something--or how to go about actually

accomplishing that with a smart but immature almost four year old? My

husband works weekends and we have no family nearby. Friends are busy so

it's always just me with my son on the weekends and since those are the days

he has no school or appointments the weekends are a combination of trying to

get stuff done and various activities we can't or don't do during the week,

or just staying home. I am just exhausted by Sunday as I feel like the

entire weekend is me trying to control him or keep things at a dull roar.

He doesn't want to sit and work on anything, he wants to only play with what

he wants to play with (in terms of us playing together), he doesn't want to

read books, he wants to go out to the park, etc. but lately it seems like

all I do is argue with him when we do go somewhere and the idea of doing

some of the stuff I want to do with him is just too exhausting as I know the

drama it will take to accomplish it. He really needs to work on sitting for

a certain period of time and doing something sedentary but it's such a

struggle and always ends up with him throwing puzzle pieces or pretending he

can't match the pieces (in a memory type game), he won't color, etc. and so

half the time I just don't have the stamina to try, which I know doesn't

help things.

We were going through a REALLY great patch for a while and he was doing so

great, but the last week has just been miserable!! I think this week has

been so bad also because it reminds me how bad things were six months ago

and I'm terrified we'll go back to that kind of behavior again, which I

don't know if I can handle. He's been so great lately that I've forgotten

how bad things were.

Anyway, I find myself driving around to places I don't even need to go just

because he loves to ride in the car and is really good, or letting him watch

tv just because he's driving me insane and I need some time to relax. I had

a really bad day today so I'm having a hard time focusing on what he's doing

well right now. I mean, he does lots of things well and that's great but

after a day like today all I can think of is what he is NOT doing, which I

know isn't helpful. We also live in an apartment building downtown and so I

can't just throw him in the backyard. He also thinks it's great fun to toss

things off the fourth floor deck when I'm not looking (nothing big--just

little things like crackers or something so it's not dangerous so much as

we've been over it 10,000 times that he cannot throw things off the deck) or

walk around stomping which drives the neighbors insane and he knows it.

I know he needs more physical things to do sometimes but when he's in a bad

mood like today it just ends up with him pitching a fit in the park and me

having to physically pick him up and drag him to the car or just fighting

with him the whole time and like I said--I find myself not even wanting to

try when I know he's in a pissy mood like today as it will end like that so

we stay home and he drives me insane (and I probably drive him insane too!)

being in a bad mood at home.

Anyway, I'm not wanting to medicate him, I just think with his

distractability and argumentative personality we'll probably have to some

day, but in the meantime any tips you can suggest would be great. I'm also

struggling with him wanting to argue about every little thing down to

something like, " please put your shoes away. " He'll drag it out hoping I'll

forget or leave his shoes out just because I've asked him to put them away.

I make him follow through but sometimes I just don't want to deal with it

and find myself getting really mad at him!

I actually know what would be good for him in terms of exercise, incentives,

etc. I'm just having a hard time implementing all these great suggestions

and ideas I've read about because I'm just worn down right now from the

constant drama of our lives at the moment! I just feel like I have to watch

him every second or he's off doing something inappropriate and that leaves

me unable to accomplish ANYTHING until he goes to bed, but by that point I'm

just too tired. Thanks for letting me vent!!