When Vicki and I married five years ago, we faced many of the issues common to new stepfamilies. I have a daughter and a son who live with their mother but spend most weekends with us. Vicki has a son who she has raised alone, having had no contact with her ex for several years. On top of the adjustments we all had to make in blending these families was the fact that my new stepson has Attention Deficit Disorder. Wanting to be the best stepdad I could be, I had begun learning about ADD even before our wedding.
ADD is something most people have heard of, yet it is widely misunderstood.
There have been countless sensational stories about it in the media over the past several years. The press has promoted the idea that ADD is just an excuse for spoiled brats to misbehave. Families who actually live with ADD know nothing could be further from the truth. ADD is a neurological disorder. Simply put, its causes lie in the chemistry of the brain.