Reading through the previous posts may have imparted a feeling of the ambivalent nature of our 2E Critter. I want to be clear about ambivalence. It is not apathy, it is the opposite, but in 2 directions at once. It is intense feeling or an intense nature of opposites simultaneously. I think the most common feeling of intense ambivalence we as parents feel is as our kiddos grow up. We are simultaneously overjoyed to see them accomplish and grow but despondent to know we are losing who they were before. I miss my 2yr old critters terribly, but am intensely excited to know them now. 2E kiddos are ALWAYS on the two extremes of competence, and this is very clear for The Critter.
Yesterday, Younger Critter said something that rocked my world a bit. He said that he wins at chess more frequently than his peers because he is patient and waits for their mistakes. THAT was a word I NEVER thought I'd apply to Younger Critter. After going down what we thought was a clear anxiety pathway for him, too, we hit a wall with interventions and went back to square one and then added an ADHD stimulant med. It's a super low dosage, but OMG! No more pulling out the hair; no more test anxiety; no more handwriting avoidance! Day 2 he said, "I feel like me but now in control of me"! His exact words, so forgive the poor grammar. While it did indeed feel like magic, we still saw lots of rebound in the evenings and mornings until it kicked in and very little patience....for anything! So, to hear him state that he uses patience as a strategy tool was kind of amazing.
The dichotomy of ADHD and patience in the same body for Younger Critter has me thinking what other hidden talents might be masked by his constant need to move and get input? What other areas that could have been contributing to confidence and self knowledge have been obscured by that need for far too long?
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