Are you sure you're not A.D.D?

My son asked me today, “Are you sure you don’t have A.D.D too?”

“No, I don’t have A.D.D., why do you ask?”

“You start to do something and then do something else.  You don’t always hear everything I say.  You would forget to pick me up at school if you didn’t set your phone.”

Hmmm.  He’s right.  It is kind of making me wonder.

I got good grades in school, but it wasn’t because I brought home my homework.  My mom used to ask me “Are you sure you have textbooks?”  I find myself asking my son the same thing.

I have about a million different interests.  I’ll get all involved in something….then suddenly switch to something else.  Just like my son.  I don’t know how much money I spent on scrapbooking items that are still sitting there in a basket, 10 years later.  Or books I haven’t read. Books I haven’t written. Clothes I forgot I bought.  Plans I haven’t followed through on.  All the while, overdedicating myself to a bunch of other activities, and then wonder why I’m always tired!

I’m not sure I can even remember how many majors I went through in college.  Engineering, Mass Communications, Art, Physical Education…finally ending with a double major in Psychology and Sociology.  And I work in Software Development in Quality Assurance.   After jobs as a mental health case manager, receptionist, A/P and Payroll Clerk, Construction Estimator’s assistant, Construction Project Manager/Office Manager, and Software support.  I’m not even quite 45!

 I very often forget conversations.  My son and I get in disagreements constantly about what each other said.  Sometimes I know it is him who forgot, sometimes I’m not sure.  Sometimes I’m not sure if someone told me something or I dreamed it.  And my son is correct, I would forget to pick him up if my phone did not alert me.  When I do get involved in something I like, I lose track of time.  I like my job, I like the problem solving and figuring out how to resolve it.  I like planning.  And so I get lost and need that alert.

I also need alerts to take my vitamins, pick up milk, go to the bank, mail my bills.  For me, smartphones are the greatest invention ever, mine makes sure I don’t forget anything.  When I remember to put the task on the calendar in the first place.

Perhaps I just really like a lot of things, and my mind is going with age.  But he is really making me think.

And that’s why they have wine.