Mis-Labels
"Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!"James 3:5
My youngest is a highly energetic, little guy, always busy, always moving, and possessing an active imagination. Getting him to sit still while doing school is often a challenge. Incentives are helpful, periodic breaks are needed, and discipline is sometimes necessary.
As a result, the older children have jokingly labeled him with a diagnosis of ADD. However, as his mother, I feel that it is more a question of self-control, and a bad case of the wiggles. Being the youngest of nine children may also be a factor. From the day of his birth he has always been "spoiled" and the "center of attention". His two older sisters frequently baby him, and demand hugs and kisses.
The other day, while attempting to teach my "baby" the multiplication tables, we were sitting on the floor with his math book between us, and the tray of manipulatives at his side. Stretching out on the carpet gave us more room to handle the plastic strips of segmented numbers, and better illustrate the math problems.
After completing two rows of numbered facts together, my son suddenly got quiet, rested his chin on his bent knee, looked up at me and said, "Mom, I don't really have ADD, do I?" Being caught off guard, I immediately assured him that he did not.
"But even if I did," he continued, "It wouldn't matter, because I would just have to learn to control myself."
I still was not sure how to respond so I just said, "I know you can control yourself, and that you can sit still when you want to, so let's just finish this page and then take a break."
I couldn't help but feel convicted. One of my reasons for homeschooling was to avoid labels. Yet here I was, allowing it in my own home. I had been naïve in thinking that his older siblings', teasing comments were not being absorbed, or taken seriously.
In one sense I was intrigued that he realized his need for self-control, yet, on the other hand, I felt bad in not protecting him from the harmful comments of his siblings.
I quickly realized that home is not just a haven from the outside world. It is also a place where we must learn to respect the feelings of each other. And to remember that even the littlest of ears is sensitive.
Prayer: Forgive me, Lord, for not guarding the conversation of my children. My concern for teaching the academics caused me to become insensitive to the priority of the spiritual. Help me to keep my focus correct, I pray, in Your Name, Amen.
