I discovered I had ADD because of an interview on tv with Dr. Hallowell. Basically he listed a series of positive and negative traits. When I saw the list, it looked exactly like my outline for my Press Release regarding my children’s dress-up party business. I wrote about my old sales boss saying at a big corporate meeting, “We need to think outside the box. Except Ruth, we need to get her into the box.” Although this was meant as a compliment, it made me realize that I was not really happy conforming and I needed a more creative career.
I’m lucky. At 40 years old I have a job I love and am great at doing. They pay me because I have ADD, because I have the “mind of a child.” I started Princess and Pirate Parties over 4 years ago but I just found out I had ADD a couple months ago. Now everything I do and have said in the past all makes much more sense. For example, I thought I was nuts because you can NOT put a stuffed animal in a cello treat bag with a twist because the animal won’t be able to breathe. People want to lock you up when you say something like that as an adult. But that is how a child thinks, so you can’t do it!!!
The irony of watching this interview was that I was already being treated for ADD. When Dr. Hallowell listed the negative (or perceived negative) traits, they were exactly – WORD FOR WORD – EACH AND EVERY ONE – what my husband had complained to my doctor about me. But I didn’t understand ADD because all of the treatment and questions were based on CHILDREN and sitting in school. I had adapted enough to get by, so I didn’t really pay attention to what the doctor told me was wrong with me. How’s that for the definition of ADD?!
Ruth Princess