Russell Barkley is a psychologist who has done a lot of work and writing in the area of ADHD. I was unfamiliar with him and his work, and I still don't know much, but I stumbled across a video of Barkley speaking, and it really resonated for me. I'll embed it at the end of this post, because the delivery is better than my transcript will be.
Yes! Children are "unique individuals". I'd even go so far as to say they are their own individual human beings. Working with youth, and being in close proximity to changes in school policy in both MD and VA, it's clear that MD (legally) views young people as people with their own rights and responsibilities, while VA (legally) views young people as property, to be controlled and maintained by their parents until suddenly they become personally responsible at 18. I wish more adults remembered when they were kids and recognized that they had independent ideas, feelings, and behaviors.
I love this. My brother’s husband was a shepherd. He, along with my sister and her husband, tended their flock of Icelandic sheep in upstate New York. After lambing season, there could be as many as 300 head. Jimmie loved his sheep and they loved him. And, as per your article, a lot of work went into their farm, which was biodynamic and rotated the sheep from pasture to pasture. They also had some of the most extraordinary guard dogs – Maremma-Abruzzo sheep dogs from the Apennine mountains mountains in Italy. There was a lot of “engineering” that went into the breeding (for milkiness and hardiness) of these beautiful sheep; they had the first Icelandic sheep dairy in the world! But that’s where it stopped. They gave their sheep the best possible environment, protected them, and cared for them and every single ewe and ram had gloriously distinct personalities.
What your article made clear for me was the ‘why’ of the guilt and the frayed nervous systems that so many of my young friends with children are experiencing. It’s heartbreaking, both for the parents and the children as well.
Yes! Children are "unique individuals". I'd even go so far as to say they are their own individual human beings. Working with youth, and being in close proximity to changes in school policy in both MD and VA, it's clear that MD (legally) views young people as people with their own rights and responsibilities, while VA (legally) views young people as property, to be controlled and maintained by their parents until suddenly they become personally responsible at 18. I wish more adults remembered when they were kids and recognized that they had independent ideas, feelings, and behaviors.
Thank you
I love this. My brother’s husband was a shepherd. He, along with my sister and her husband, tended their flock of Icelandic sheep in upstate New York. After lambing season, there could be as many as 300 head. Jimmie loved his sheep and they loved him. And, as per your article, a lot of work went into their farm, which was biodynamic and rotated the sheep from pasture to pasture. They also had some of the most extraordinary guard dogs – Maremma-Abruzzo sheep dogs from the Apennine mountains mountains in Italy. There was a lot of “engineering” that went into the breeding (for milkiness and hardiness) of these beautiful sheep; they had the first Icelandic sheep dairy in the world! But that’s where it stopped. They gave their sheep the best possible environment, protected them, and cared for them and every single ewe and ram had gloriously distinct personalities.
What your article made clear for me was the ‘why’ of the guilt and the frayed nervous systems that so many of my young friends with children are experiencing. It’s heartbreaking, both for the parents and the children as well.