The Wisdom of Standing Still

As calm slowly starts to descend on our home I am starting to see little patches of breathing space which are very welcome after a long period of constant chatter filling the air time in our home. As some of you know, I have two children, Luke who is almost 3 and Amy, 11, who has recently been diagnosed with ADHD (dyslexia and ASD).

One of the quality’s of having a child who has learning difficulties is the personality that comes with a low sense of social awareness or self awareness, she is SO much fun and not bogged down by our political british reservedness, she has a truly beautiful, creative and energetic mind. One of the other qualities is the ability to keep going! Amy's chatter keeps up with her mind which runs at super speed. As entertaining as that can be, it can also be exhausting for both us and for her too. (not forgetting her teachers!)

Deciding to medicate Amy was not an easy decision, but one I do not regret. She has slowed down and we have seen some wonderful things start to happen, like her new ability to play, to enjoy her own company, to be part of a conversation and to syphon through some of the ways of her mind so that she can share her thoughts with us in new depth and understanding. It is a real joy to see her slow down a little and really blossom for it.

...and as a parent who has had an unmedicated child with ADHD for the past 11 years, I'd be lying if I didn't say I wasn't grateful for the little bit of quiet it has bought us!

So what am I doing with all this new calm?

I am working! Filling every moment with all the jobs I struggled to do through the noisiness and busyness of our family life, like there is a sudden need to make the most of every new second of calm by being productive. Somehow, as Amy has slowed down, I have sped up!

And then I was reminded of this song by Kathryn Roberts 'The wisdom of standing still' ... a quality I do not posses. I think it's actually more of a discipline, a technique I am yet to master but one I am aware I need to pay some attention to.

Fancy a cuppa?