Have you ever known someone who is hyperactive and never stops? What if it was your child and you were told that they were not like the other children at school? Or that you needed a parenting class because you weren't disciplining him properly at home? Just imagine how that would make a parent feel. Have you ever seen a child in public that you automatically judged because of the way they were acting? Or judged their parents? Did you ever think before you judged them, that there may be something mentally wrong with the child?

I'm not an expert on the disability because I don't have it, but I do have family members who have ADHD. Growing up with a sibling who has ADHD is different than you would expect. We didn't treat him like he was different, or like there was something wrong with him. We treated him like a regular person, but we did have to take into account his disability when he got overly excited. We have to help him get his thoughts together. And there was no way, even to this day, of ignoring him.

People with ADHD have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors, or are overly active. This effects how they react to situations and how they control their emotions. They can be happy, loud, or even mad. It is very hard to keep to one conversation because they are trying to tell you everything at once, so the subject changes frequently. We have to have patience and love in that moment of anxiety or anticipation.

Most people find out that they have ADHD at a young age. My sister-in-law has recently been told that my three year old nephew needs to see a neurologist because not only do they think he is ADHD, but they also think he may be autistic. This brings me back to the questions I asked at the beginning. Can you imagine having people judge your child because they are not like the other children at school? Or having them question your parenting?

Just because a child has no control over their mental state does not mean that there is something wrong with them. This doesn't just go for children with ADHD or autism, it goes for any child who is disabled. When something is not right in our world, we get upset. This also applies to children that you think are misbehaving or over-reacting by throwing a tantrum. How about the next time you see a child acting out or a parent not disciplining their child the way you would, don't judge a book by its cover. Even though my brother has ADHD, he is still a part of our family. I love someone who has ADHD. And if you didn't judge a book by its cover you would grow to love someone with it too.