Recently, I ran a search for Ryan Higa videos, and I came across this little gem. As much as I love to laugh, rarely do I laugh to the point of tears; but I did when I watched this at least twenty times. It's probably not that funny, really.
But for this mom of a boy with ADHD, this portrayal of an ADHD-affected Harry Potter just hits so close to home that about all we're missing at my house is a skeleton. I have no doubt that within a couple of years, I will receive a phone call from a troubled biology teacher wanting to speak with me about a disconcerting incident involving a classroom skeleton. In fact, I will bet on it. I'll let you know when it happens.
Basically, I think whoever made this video has been peeping through my windows at night.
And I'm grateful to them for doing it!
As a mother raising her own hyperactive wizard while struggling with ADHD herself, daily life can be filled with so much frustration. Trying to remind myself that "kids will be kids" isn't always helpful when tempers are flaring and I'm frustrated, tired, scattered, and just yearning to complete a little househould business before my head explodes. In that moment, I don't want to "look at [you]" or "pull [your] finger;'' and a child's insistance that I do so, is less than amusing.
But then I see this video. I take a step back and see a tiny slice of my life against a backdrop of parody and realize that, indeed, this child - my child - is amazing. Funny, light, creative, whimsical, interesting, and challenging in wonderful ways.
Based on the viewer comment feed, I suppose some folks might be offended by this video. I hope you won't be. If you've spent any time on my blog, you know that I DO believe ADHD is a laughing matter. Otherwise, I'd be crying all the time, and that's just no fun at all.
If you're offended because you believe this little comic depiction is a gross and unfair exaggeration or hyperbolic mockery, I invite you to peer in my windows some evening. You'll change your mind.
