f you are reading this newsletter absolutely exhausted at the end of the day, or really early before your child rises to hurricane level activity, you just might be the parent of a hyperactive child. Today the most common solution is medication, and for some children, it is a real solution. But for many more it is not really helpful, and what you need are tools more than medication.
Creating space
Creating space for the hyperactive child in your life involves effort. Make sure they get lots of physical activity— preferably outside. Plan time in his or her schedule to play, dance, and exercise. Give yourself permission to scale back your life and make room to enjoy your hyperactive child (Yes, I did say enjoy). Before you balk at the idea, keep in mind, with a hyperactive child, you may be struggling to get anything done anyhow, so stop feeling guilty and remember they will grow up and too soon. As long as you are creating space, let’s talk about diet.
Diet
Real, whole foods (I did not say healthy but that never hurts either). What I mean is take the processed foods out of your child’s regular meals. If you eat cheese, eat, real cheese. Eat real, fresh fruit. Get real peanut butter if you child can eat peanut butter. Feed them whole foods that are unrefined. It takes a little more time but not as much as you think, if you will plan out your meals in advance. Make sure you limit their sugar intake to 6 teaspoons per day— most children get in excesses of 21 teaspoons a day in the form of high fructose corn syrup hidden in pasta sauces, condiments, and “healthy” kids snacks like lowfat yogurt, juice, and more. Add to that a soda a day, containing as many as 10 teaspoons of sugar and it does not take long to ramp up any child into a frenzy. A little time invested in label reading can do a lot to help curb some of the common issues for hyperactive children.
Sleep
Another valuable tool is establishing regular sleep schedules. If you are not disciplined in this area yourself it becomes even harder to do, but it is well worth the effort. Before you establish bedtime, watch your child, see how they are wired. Some kids naturally zonk-out early. My oldest was naturally early to bed, early to rise. Others were naturally night-owls, late risers. Learning to work with their natural rhythms will help (of course keep in mind real world obstacles like schedules at work and school) but as much as possible work with your child’s natural rhythm. Additionally, creating a soothing sleep environment free of distractions can aid in you both finding rest sooner.
Parenting
In addition to all of these physical things, don’t forget you are a very important part of the equation. Hyperactive children are often singled out as problems, and they need to know Mom and Dad don’t see them as problems, but a gift. Assure your hyperactive child you are not mad at them for being hyperactive. They are fearfully and wonderfully made, God’s workmanship. It’s ok to be hyperactive, most of the time. Sometimes, it is imperative to control i, however, expecting to control the behavior all the time isn’t really reasonable. Make extra time for school and homework, and if it becomes crippling, consider an official diagnosis and an I.E.P. to help them manage school. Most of all pray for your child, not just about them, but for their peace, for their health, and for their ability to control their activity when they need to.
As funny as it sounds, your hyperactive child may just be God’s way of telling you to slow down and smell the flowers (that your hyperactive child just ripped out of your garden).
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