I am the parent of a child with inattentive adhd, who is also gifted. Not in the sense of all children have gifts but academically gifted. These two diagnoses each provide their own set of challenges. I have learnt that I need to choose my battles carefully. I have learnt that not every hill is worth dying on. I have to weigh up the emotional costs to both of us and whether those fights are worth it in the long run.
**The following post discusses self harm. Please ensure you are in a safe space mentally before continuing. If you or someone you know is struggling with self harm, please seek medical advice**
Recently I was talking to a friend about self harm and the drive behind the compulsion. Most of us wouldn’t think that turning to something destructive would be helpful. Yet even harmful behaviours provided relief at one point, or our brain wouldn’t continue to seek this behaviours as comfort.
Last month my hosting came up for renewal again. I toyed with the idea of taking everything offline but I couldn’t quite bring myself to do it. I’ve put in a lot of work over the years. A lot of time and money. Since renewing that hosting, my fingers have been itching. I’ve spent hours awake at night with ideas running through my head. As always the fear of failure has kept the words in my head and off the screen.
**I was sent one mobile phone in order to complete this review. All opinions are my own**
When I am having a bad day, you can almost guarantee it is because I haven’t exercised in some shape or form. I’m incredibly unfit and I don’t enjoy exercising, but I do know that when I do it, I feel so much better for it. I’m a big fan of the incidental exercise, much to the chagrin of Mr 8. He got the lazy gene from his Mama.
This year we have been walking to and from school everyday. When we started, Mr 8 complained so much that one would think I was making him complete a marathon each day, not the 1.5km we walked to school. It’s August now and we’ve only just reached the point where he has accepted that we are walking this term.
I knew that I wouldn’t be the only one in this position so I decided to share my tips for a way to get to whinge free exercise!
*I was sent Chrono Bomb by Talkin Toys in order to complete this review. All opinions are my own*
When Mr 8 turned six I bought him junior scrabble. I had fond memories of this game from my own childhood and I was keen to share these with him. So began his love of board games and the birth of his competitive streak. He annihilated me in that first game of scrabble, I wasn’t even trying to let him win!
Our game board collection has grown to include UNO, Monolopy, Trouble and Jenga. Games which Mr 8 has enjoyed sharing with his father and I. He has especially enjoyed these games when he was kicking our butts! Most of all though it was nice to have a fun way to learn with Mr 8 and teach him about the things we loved from our childhood.
Another game, of the video variety has had a positive impact on Mr 8. So often we hear about the pitfalls of video games. We are told that they offer little benefit. However that hasn’t been the case in our household. Through video games Mr 8 was able to find a voice. Sure sometimes it felt like all he could talk about was the newest video game but it gave him the confidence to begin a conversation.
Finding his voice wasn’t the only upside to games. His favourite games provided him with a way to improve his reading and math, while making it fun! It hardly felt like learning to him, when it meant that he could whip his Mum or Dad in his favourite board game.
Chrono Bomb is a game which calls on a different set of skills. Mr 8 used logic, problem solving and gross motor skills. Paul and I mainly used our facial muscles, laughing at the positions he twisted himself in to make it through the obstacle course.
Using strings as ‘laser beams’, Chrono Bomb is a physical strategy game that has kids racing against the clock, or themselves to make it through the maze before the timer blows. Mr 8 loved setting up a course to make his way through. Although the sneaky bugger tried just going around the outside of the course a few times!
The course is set up using the easy peasy clamps. This means that the course can be set up absolutely anywhere. I must admit I was tempted to set up a maze in his bedroom to stop the after bedtime wanderings!
To make things more fun, the whole course is rigged to buzz when the ‘lasers’ get bumped. Mr 8 managed to maneuver himself through the course he’d set without touching the laser beams. Hence the victory dance at the end of this video of him trying out this new game. I could ramble on about how awesome it is, but I think Mr 8’s reaction says it all!
