Gifted Parenting - Parenting a Gifted Child

Chronicling my journey as the mother of a gifted child.

[ March 2007 ] [ May 2007 ]

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

April 7th 2007 23:57

From Wikimedia Commons

I don't smoke, neither do I drink alcohol. I've never experimented with any type of illegal drugs, I guess one may say I'm living a clean life.

But there's one very addictive substance I find so hard to shake. I've had a love/hate relationship with it for many years, I'm talking about CAFFEINE.

Coffee in the morning
A diet soda in the noon
And chocolates after dinner

This is my typical day. I've tried cutting back on caffeine and to some extent I've succeeded, then I start getting headaches, feel sluggish and crave for it again. These feelings are actually withdrawal symptoms and it's hard to resist the urge for a quick caffeine fix when it kicks in. And so I succumb to it again, thus the cycle goes on and on.

But I've reached a point in my life when I need to seriously reassess my health, given the history of diabetes in my family, I need to get serious about kicking this caffeine habit.

And so I start today, pledging to you my dear Orble friends that I will actively avoid any food or drink that contains caffeine. Yes, it's easier said than done but I'm hoping to stick with it this time. Although my daughter isn't allowed to drink any type of soda, I do wish to set a better example for her. I'd like to sound credible when i tell her "Soda's not good for you" and then I turn around and open a can of Diet Coke - how hypocritical. So...goodbye caffeine, it's been a whirlwind relationship but now we have to break-up...

"Hello, I'm Hope and I'm a caffeine-addict".

Resources for Fellow Caffeine Addicts:

Take this funny quiz on "Are You A Caffeine Addict?".

Information About Caffeine Dependence from Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.

Article on "How to Give Up Coffee".

Vote

Comments (4)

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Hope - Category: Mommy Notes

Email this Post to a Friend

Is my child really gifted?

April 1st 2007 20:57

To many parents being told by a psychologist that your child is gifted elicits mixed emotions - surprise, joy, pride, puzzlement, worry, doubt, even fear.

Wth the assortment of tests available nowadays that is supposed to help distinguish if a child is in fact gifted you may think spotting the gifted child has become easier. I personally think it has not and all these tests are still very much subjective and not fool-proof.

Research has revealed many types of mental and emotional disorders we've never heard of before - ADHD, Asperger's, etc. And since many doctors are more prone to believe that a child who is exhibiting extraordinary intelligence must have a mental or emotional imbalance instead of being gifted, a lot of children, and even adults, are being misdiagnosed.

That is why i strongly believe that medicating a child isn't always the first option, it should actually be your last resort (unless it's an emergency of course). As a parent we must explore all other possibilities before we medicate our children. Even if these tests that are deemed to pinpoint giftedness isn't 100% reliable, we should first give it a try before moving on to another option.

Many children have been misdiagnosed as having ADHD and put on medication only to find out later on that the child's inattentiveness and/or restlessness in class is in fact because he is bored and he is ntellectually advanced than the grade level he is in.The problem is the medicines our kids are popping in their mouths all have side effects, some even compromise their well-being.

So if you're wondering if your child is gifted, have him tested and let the results guide your next step.

Gifted Parenting - Parenting a Gifted Child

Gifted Parenting - April 2007

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Is my child really gifted?

Hope's Blogs