read any interesting articles lately?

this decaf life

https://www.bestdaily.co.uk/your-life/news/a573059/a-healthy-baby-is-not-all-that-matters.html -A healthy baby is all that matters, discusses the importance of considering mom after birth

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/17/us/among-experts-scrutiny-of-attention-disorder-diagnoses-in-2-and-3-year-olds.html?action=click&module=Search&region=searchResults&mabReward=relbias:r&url=http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/?action=click&region=Masthead&pgtype=Homepage&module=SearchSubmit&contentCollection=Homepage&t=qry727#/thousands+of+toddlers&_r=0

- seriously? 10,000 2 and 3 year olds prescribed medicine for ADHD? 

https://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2014/05/24/314286509/why-mr-rogers-is-having-a-big-moment-in-education?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140524 - Mr. Rogers was [and still is] awesome

https://www.delightedmomma.com/2014/05/secondary-drowning-my-recent-experience.html?m=1 - Secondary [dry] drowning, I'd never heard of it until last week.

this decaf life

The second article is too much for me. I just can't believe kids so young are being put on mind altering chemicals that haven't been tested of approved for such an age. I'm sure I could get someone to prescribe DD medicine if I weren't responsible enough to look at the way I parent.

We chose to focus on independence, exploration and creativity. Which means we haven't spent a lot of time focusing DD's attention on tasks. I just enrolled her in a music class so we can work on listening and sitting skills. She just doesn't know how to sit down and listen to a story because I, as her parent, have never taught her the importance of the skill. It's DH & my job to teach her both sides of the coin. If I didn't invest the time now that I've recognized the problem while it's a minor issue I'm sure she would have focus and attention problems as she grows up. 

Parenting isn't a perfect science and we have to adapt when we recognize issues. I think too many people aren't willing to say "maybe I messed up" and change the course of action. Maybe we focused too much on independence, now it is my job to fix it, not some chemical.

Sorry, rant over. This whole ADHD thing gets me pretty worked up.

ETA - nope I have more. I also have big issues with focus and sitting still but if I push myself to take notes and in high school I pretty much wrote down every word the teacher said I was able to keep my mind from wandering. There are coping methods and exercises that should be used first and I can't [I won't] believe that enough was done for these 10,000 tiny toddlers, who are amazed by everything in the world, before they weren't given a choice in taking mind altering medicines.

spainy17

Um, dry drowning scares the shit out if me. I don't even know when I learned about it but every time DD tries drinking and chokes on her bath water I think about it. Such a worry wart!

DCKate

Amen.

MichieU79 said:

I grew up in a neighborhood with a high rate of Medicaid eligible people, otherwise known as a poor neighborhood. It doesn't surprise me in the least that such a large number of toddlers on ADHD meds are covered by medicaid, thus poor. These are kids with tons of behavioral problems, bad education and absent, often under-educated parents....usually just an overwhelmed single mom or grandparent stepping in as parents.

It's easy to blame the parents or care-takers in these situations. However, my experience is that they are, as I said, a product of a bad educational system themselves and unaware and also too trusting of the medical system as a whole. These are hard-working people, who love their kids but their main concern isn't their children's mental development. Their concern is trying to put food on the table, trying to get a job or keep one, trying to find affordable day care, trying to clothe themselves and their kids. Don't get me wrong, they need to step up and do their part to teach their kids. But for this group of people, I think the task is much harder. This is what I have witnessed growing up. I realize it may not be a popular opinion, but I think it's one more people should become aware of. Poverty is an endless cycle, with lots of victims.

I cannot help but to put a large amount of blame on the health care providers. It is their job to try and educate the parents on the right and proper course of action for kids with behavioral issues. Instead , they are prescribing a quick fix, getting the patients out of their office and then billing Medicaid for their share. Again, maybe not a popular opinion, but it's what I have seen growing up where I did.

But, the bottom line is that it's a shame....no matter how you choose to look at it.

court115

I think that, as a society, we're too quick to prescribe meds anyway, but I'm just appalled that putting a 2 or 3 year old on serious meds like that was ever even considered an option. Of course they're super active .. they're toddlers! It's natural for them to want to explore and learn. They need to be taught when and where that is appropriate and when and where they need to relax. But, like @MichieU79 mentioned, its hard for them to be taught that if their parents never were and their pedis are pushing meds. Don't get me wrong, sometimes drugs and medicines are definitely the answer, but they aren't always and it seems like we're being pushed more to medicate first and ask questions later. It's a shame.

I also had no idea that dry drowning was a thing so THANK YOU for posting that! That's definitely good information to have, especially with summer coming up.

jobiann

I just read about secondary drowning last week, how scary. I foresee a few emergency room visits in the future after DS does have some brushes with drowning. So far, he won't even put his head in any kind of water yet...

DCKate

Oooof. Secondary drowning is going to give me nightmares!' Thank you for sharing, especially since our kids are probably out in the water in the warmer weather!

ReeceFamily

I was interested in the statistics on secondary drowning (how common) and arrived at Snopes, which clarifies between dry and secondary drowning.  Both good to know!

https://www.snopes.com/medical/disease/drydrowning.asp

ReeceFamily

And this from a pediatrician's blog so that we don't lose too much sleep .

https://peterjung.blogspot.com/2008/07/post-9-dry-drowning-how-worried-should.html