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lillibet ([personal profile] lillibet) wrote2007-05-25 03:16 pm
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Child Activated Attention Deficit Disorder

Forwarded from someone on another list, who got it from a friend, so who knows where it started, but I think most of the moms I know will recognize these symptoms!

Recently, I was diagnosed with C. A. A. D. D. (Child Activated Attention Deficit Disorder). This is how it manifests:

I decide to do the laundry. As I start toward the basement, I notice that there are cheerios all over the floor and my car keys are in the cereal bowl. I decide to pick up the cheerios before I do the laundry. I lay my car keys down on the counter, put the cheerios in the trash can under the counter, and notice that the trash can is full. So, I decide to take out the trash.

But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the trash I may as well pay the bills first. I take my checkbook off the table, and see that there is only one check left, my extra checks are in my desk in the office/playroom, so I go to my desk where I find a sippy cup full of juice. I'm going to look for my checks, but first I decide I should put the sippy cup in the refrigerator to keep it cold. As I head toward the kitchen with the sippy cup a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye--they need to be watered. I set the sippy cup on the counter, and I discover baby wipes that I've been searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back in the bathroom, but first I'm going to water the flowers.

I set the wipes back down, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote, one of the kids left it on the kitchen table. I realize that after school when they go to watch TV, I will be looking for the remote as they fight over who lost it, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.

I splash some water on the flowers, but most of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back down, get some paper towels and wipe up the spill. Then I hea d down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day: the laundry isn't washed, the bills aren't paid, there is a warm cup of juice sitting on the counter, the flowers aren't watered, there is still only one check in my checkbook, I can't find the remote, I can't find the wipes, and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.
ext_36698: Red-haired woman with flare, fantasy-art style, labeled "Ayelle" (lrrh laughing)

[identity profile] ayelle.livejournal.com 2007-05-25 07:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Bwahahahaha!
But... I do this all the time, and I don't have a child. RIGHT?? *panics* OMG!1! what have I forgotten now?

[identity profile] jimmystagger.livejournal.com 2007-05-25 08:09 pm (UTC)(link)
That just hurt my head to even read :)

[identity profile] jelazakazone.livejournal.com 2007-05-25 08:38 pm (UTC)(link)
This is basically my day except I get a billion interruptions. Like, I start activity A and one kid comes and needs a drink. I get the drink and attempt to resume activity A and the other child comes and tells me they are hungry. Rinse, lather, repeat all day long. I can't even talk on the phone any more because my kids are too much of a distraction. They are right in front of me and the person on the phone is just a small little abstract voice;)

[identity profile] deguspice.livejournal.com 2007-05-26 12:48 am (UTC)(link)
This reminds me of a post I was thinking of making. Anyone thinking of raising a kid, should first try pet sitting a 80+ lb puppy for two weeks.

I'm really glad my parents have reclaimed their dog.

[identity profile] jelazakazone.livejournal.com 2007-05-26 04:23 am (UTC)(link)
Hee. Excellent point:) Except kids do eventually grow out of that phase...

[identity profile] pekmez.livejournal.com 2007-05-26 03:47 am (UTC)(link)
oh excellent! So familiar, and yet so funny.

In my case I think it's child exacerbated, not child activated. I already had the tendency, but now there are a million more things to notice and get distracted by trying to do in the middle of starting on one task.

[identity profile] billmarrs.livejournal.com 2007-05-26 09:55 am (UTC)(link)
This reminds me of LISP, but it's hard to explain why. Essentially, there's a common way to write a program in LISP that works in a similar way. The program goes to do one thing, but ends up having to do a lot of other stuff beforehand. I guess it's kind of like a certain worst case scenario of that butter post I made too.