Do you have a “summer personality” child?

iMAD aka ADHD/ADD In Children.

iMAD aka ADHD/ADD is a childhood condition that makes it hard to focus and concentrate.  Some iMADs are also hyperactive.  Their internal motor is constantly ON and they can’t sit still.  Rather than enjoying a game of Monopoly, they would be more prone to flipping the board and throwing the money all over the place.

iMAD kids are not bad kids.  They are restless, unfocused, distractible and full of energy they have a hard time directing.

During the school year iMAD kids are under more stress than other children.  The demands of a structured classroom where everyone has to learn to wait and take turns take extra self control that iMAD kids have to work extra hard to develop.

iMAD kids usually get more negative feedback in the classroom. They are told by their teacher to wait their turn, don’t blurt out answers, stop daydreaming  and don’t  clown around.

After 9 months of being bottled up, like a race horse whose jockey is constantly pulling back on the reins, iMADs are just that—mad and exhausted.

Summer comes and iMADs are turned loose.  They can relax, go to camp, run around outside, play computer games uninterrupted, just be themselves.  Parents relax because they don’t have to constantly remind them to , “Do this, Finish that and by the way clean out your packpack…”  The summer flowering of a more relaxed, happy and less stressed child can do wonders for everyone!

 Then comes late August.  Parents know what’s coming.

iMADs sense time is not on their side.  What can be done to keep the summer spirit in focus through the school year so iMADs can carry more of their sunshine back to school with them?

1. Set aside a half to an hour after school for your child to “veg,” relax, a do nothing time where expectations are suspended.
2. Talk about  wonderful summer memories.  Ask your child if they can tell you the difference in how they feel, now that school is up and running?
3. Ask your child what would help make the school year more like their “summer self?”Don’t be too disappointed if the “summer self” disappears.
4. School calls for energy to be channeled in more challenging ways.

Maggie Baker, Ph. D.
Psychologist – Financial Therapist
Author of Crazy About Money: “How Emotions Confuse Our Money Choices And What To Do About It”.