It’s midterm report time again, and again it’s a period of dread and depression here. Most would say that 3 out of 4 good reports would be a good thing. But in this age of standardized testing, ridiculously intense competition, and Ritalin, anything less than perfect overshadows anything good that comes. And so it is again, lots of yelling, accusations, and scheduled testing. At this point my feelings are of resignation and depression.
Still, my overall disposition remains optimistic. I never had any special testing, diagnoses, or drugging, and I think I turned out just fine. Indeed, most people thought I was a pretty smart, if somewhat shy, kid. Now there’s a word that doesn’t get used anymore, just plain ol’ shy. Now anyone different has to be diagnosed and subsequently prescribed the “appropriate” drug. What ever happened to letting the kids discover who they are on their own? I still believe that my job as a parent is to help them develop into the people they were made to be. This may or may not be what I would want or dream of and probably should not be. The world works best, I think, with a variety of people, personalities, and abilities. The most renowned art and science seems to come from those off the mainstream, not the so called “normal” people. Indeed, there really aren’t any normal people. Normal is just an artificial construct, probably more useful for academic comparisons than being a target of one’s aspirations.
One reply on “Depression And The Age Of Imperfect Children”
I agree that it seems that today there are no longer normal kids or normal people. It is all about finding a title for someone and then putting them on medication. When really it is all about finding a schedule a healthy diet and understanding that todays needs and expectations are different from back in the day.
I used to think that there had to be something wrong with my middle child but really he is normal just needs some extra attention and plenty of play time. I would say that people need to spend more time just talking and understanding the behaviors and not rushing to get a quick fix, and have medication fix the problem.