thoughts on drugs
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I think it would help to hear my thoughts
and try to understand where I am coming
from regarding the recent drug issue going
around on this list.
On the issue of Marc taking his nephews out
camping. Great for you. We do alot of family
outtings from ice fishing to metal detecting.
Sorry, we own a TV in fact 3 of them and we watch
them all in fact we pay for cable. I consider my
VCR and TV great teaching tools. When 9-11 happened
the news kept me abreast of everything that was happening.
And also for the memorial ceremony, my son and I watched
that too.
My brother who died at age 40, suffered from a mental condition.
My father thought he could fix it all by telling my brother that if
he would just get off the medication, life for him would be better.
There were times my brother actually couldn't stand the tension
and went cold turkey off the medication. (never diagnosed until 25 years old)
In fact it got to the point that my brother rarely came home, and
I and my mother suffered for what my father couldn't understand nor
tolerate the medications side effects.
My son is 12, and I fought battle after battle for my son in the public
school system. I knew something was wrong, but felt that if I brought
him home and homeschooled him I could prove them wrong. For a long
time things went very well for him, close friends even noticed the difference
in him. I was reaping the rewards of homeschooling to no end.
Then there was a change, and the change in him told me he was suffering
and needed help. Thank God that the doctor listened to me, and my input. He
put my son on the medication I was most comfortable with, and would
have prescribed myself. I still applaud homeschooling for I am really a great
teacher with a great student.
So, long story short is I do know what withdrawls are, and I also do my
homework
on every medication my family is on.
Dear Unschooling group. this was hard to write and stirred up emotions for
me.
Please understand my thoughts.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
and try to understand where I am coming
from regarding the recent drug issue going
around on this list.
On the issue of Marc taking his nephews out
camping. Great for you. We do alot of family
outtings from ice fishing to metal detecting.
Sorry, we own a TV in fact 3 of them and we watch
them all in fact we pay for cable. I consider my
VCR and TV great teaching tools. When 9-11 happened
the news kept me abreast of everything that was happening.
And also for the memorial ceremony, my son and I watched
that too.
My brother who died at age 40, suffered from a mental condition.
My father thought he could fix it all by telling my brother that if
he would just get off the medication, life for him would be better.
There were times my brother actually couldn't stand the tension
and went cold turkey off the medication. (never diagnosed until 25 years old)
In fact it got to the point that my brother rarely came home, and
I and my mother suffered for what my father couldn't understand nor
tolerate the medications side effects.
My son is 12, and I fought battle after battle for my son in the public
school system. I knew something was wrong, but felt that if I brought
him home and homeschooled him I could prove them wrong. For a long
time things went very well for him, close friends even noticed the difference
in him. I was reaping the rewards of homeschooling to no end.
Then there was a change, and the change in him told me he was suffering
and needed help. Thank God that the doctor listened to me, and my input. He
put my son on the medication I was most comfortable with, and would
have prescribed myself. I still applaud homeschooling for I am really a great
teacher with a great student.
So, long story short is I do know what withdrawls are, and I also do my
homework
on every medication my family is on.
Dear Unschooling group. this was hard to write and stirred up emotions for
me.
Please understand my thoughts.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
zenmomma *
>>My son is 12, and I fought battle after battle for my son in the publicI haven't been posting much, but I just just had to pop in after reading
>>school system. I knew something was wrong, but felt that if I brought him
>>home and homeschooled him I could prove them wrong. For a long time things
>>went very well for him, close friends even noticed the difference in him.
>>I was reaping the rewards of homeschooling to no end. Then there was a
>>change, and the change in him told me he was suffering and needed help.
>>Thank God that the doctor listened to me, and my input. He put my son on
>>the medication I was most comfortable with, and would have prescribed
>>myself.>>
this paragraph. I could have written this one myself concerning my son,
Conor.
School was a constant battle for him (and me) and unschooling has blessed
our lives in so many ways. When he came home at 9 years old he just relaxed
and blossomed. Even still, he has also suffered with clinical depression and
is currently on medication. We have been able to reduce the dosage, but not
stop it entirely. Conor has been a part of the decision each and every step
of the way. I fought the idea of medication for a long time. In retrospect,
I think my stubborn refusal to consider such a thing actually forced Conor
to suffer much too long.
I would never medicate a child, or anyone for that matter, on a whim. I
firmly believe schools should have NO part whatsoever in recommending a
"diagnosis" or medication for what they consider a problem child. I do,
however, have first hand experience with a child who truly needed medical
intervention to function in his real, everday, unschooling life. For us,
medication has allowed that unschooling life to continue to unfold and
blossom.
>>Dear Unschooling group. this was hard to write and stirred up emotions forI thank you for sharing. We all want to do what is best for our children.
>>me. Please understand my thoughts.>>
Some decisions are harder to make than others.
Life is good.
~Mary
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In a message dated 6/9/02 10:13:00 AM, zenmomma@... writes:
<< I
firmly believe schools should have NO part whatsoever in recommending a
"diagnosis" or medication for what they consider a problem child. >>
I would request medication for a child too, myself, if circumstances dictated
it within an unschooling lifestyle. I would unschool first, if the problem
seemed to be school-related or school-induced or agravated.
But sometimes teachers do see problems in kids that parents don't see,
because they see lots of kids and some parents hardly see their own. And if
they do see their own they don't know what the range of behavior is.
Without a range for comparison, some parents assume their kid is normal-range
when he's not.
I think that's one reason some dads are too demanding academically, because
they don't see how other kids their child's age are doing, what their levels
of understanding are, and what their personal interests are, so they look at
their one child and expect behavior, knowledge and attention span beyond his
years.
Sandra
<< I
firmly believe schools should have NO part whatsoever in recommending a
"diagnosis" or medication for what they consider a problem child. >>
I would request medication for a child too, myself, if circumstances dictated
it within an unschooling lifestyle. I would unschool first, if the problem
seemed to be school-related or school-induced or agravated.
But sometimes teachers do see problems in kids that parents don't see,
because they see lots of kids and some parents hardly see their own. And if
they do see their own they don't know what the range of behavior is.
Without a range for comparison, some parents assume their kid is normal-range
when he's not.
I think that's one reason some dads are too demanding academically, because
they don't see how other kids their child's age are doing, what their levels
of understanding are, and what their personal interests are, so they look at
their one child and expect behavior, knowledge and attention span beyond his
years.
Sandra