Other than ones for family members, Ryan and Eric probably never went to a kid’s birthday party. Neither one of them had friends. Parents wouldn’t allow them to play with their kids because they were such bad influences. It was horrible; they were socially isolated.
Embarrassed about it
My oldest, Scott, was very embarrassed about it and told very few people. My youngest Jason doesn’t care–he calls it his “calming down medicine.” He talks with his little friends about how much fun they have when he forgets his meds. Sometimes he wants me to skip it so he can have a “really good voice for Tae Kwon Do.”
Friends remind her
Megan has always enjoyed friendship; she’s been very fortunate because she’s always had some really nice friendships. She’s never been lacking for a good social life, but having said that, her friends have even said to her, “Megan, maybe you should take your medication now.”
Oh, Nick tells them. Absolutely–it’s not an issue. He’s a camp counselor now where he used to be a camper. And the nurse there gives the medicine to everyone since they can’t keep any meds on them. Some of the campers take stimulants, so he just tells them, “I do, too.”
Trouble connecting
A lot of the kids I’ve seen with ADHD seem to have a lot of social integration problems. They don’t seem to be able to connect as well with other kids. They seem to kind of stick out like sore thumbs for some reason.