Astronauts with ADHD? A career path for your child?
Hello, Parents!
We want to bring some positivity to our community by voicing our belief that our kids have the ability to shoot for the moon. And we mean that literally!
You may have seen in the news recently that SpaceX successfully sent two astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), and they've ushered in a new generation of space-related opportunities.
Pretty cool, huh? But do you think a kid with ADHD could ever grow up to be an astronaut?
Guess what... there is an astronaut with ADHD, and maybe you've heard his name: Scott Kelly. He talked openly about his attention issues here in this article.
Scott grew up with ADHD, and it made getting through school a constant uphill battle. Every year he promised himself he would start paying attention and doing all his homework, but he continued to struggle. But things changed for Scott when he read The Right Stuff, Tom Wolfe's groundbreaking account of the early days of America's space program.
Reading that book inspired Scott. In it he learned about how people who sounded much like himself helped put people on the moon, and for the first time in his life, he began to truly love school!
When he entered college, Scott joined the Navy ROTC to help him stay disciplined. Not afraid of hard work, he became a pilot, and then an astronaut, and the rest is history!
When it came to his ADHD, Scott didn't have much help, because back then, people barely understood what ADHD was and how it affects our kids. But today, for a child with ADHD, thankfully, it's a whole new world!
With your help, your kids can shoot for the stars.
Like space travel, ADHD treatment is getting more effective and more accessible. Today, kids with ADHD (and their parents) have much more access to care, knowledge, tools, and resources that help parents support and nurture their children in ways that were just not understood when Scott was in school. Most importantly, with tools like Esteem and others, parents are better empowered to help their kids help themselves in ways that just weren't possible 10 years ago.
There will always be pessimists and naysayers - people who say "maybe a child with ADHD, properly treated, could grow up to be a functioning member of society. But an astronaut, a celebrity, or a senator? Probably not."
We think that those people are wildly wrong. Like, "the earth is flat and eating dark chocolate with Diet Coke will make your stomach explode" wrong. So we encourage you to empower your kids. Help them find the things that they are unstoppably passionate about. If Esteem helps, or other tools work for you, engage in those things to help your child unlock their limitless potential.
As more kids with ADHD believe they too can shoot for the stars, our future will be in good hands. Astronaut Scott Kelly went to Earth's orbit. Your child could go to Mars.
Donna :)
donn@chooseesteem.com
