Jennifer Gay Summers
The Blog
News | Moments | Life stories from Jennifer
Blogs
More
My Cup of Tea- ADHD Ways to Cope
When a child is diagnosed with a mental disability, there are solid strategies to help them cope. And some of these coping mechanisms can also become a way for a young adult to move forward, functioning in a challenging world. My new blog looks at some of the ways my...
The Boothbay Playhouse
As August’s dry heat envelops me and I long for some relief, I wander into my garden. A sudden breeze kicks up, soft whispers of summers gone by. I’m back on an old wooden bench in front of a grey, weathered cottage where foghorns call me out to sea, and lobstermen...
Summer Camp, Hands-On!
...Camp seemed like a given for my child with ADHD. What could be better than the freedom to chase lizards on a nature trail, splash in a pool, or do arts and crafts with other campers? At least, that’s what I thought until Lee’s first day. Join me in a blog where...
From Denial to Acceptance
...A letter her birthmother had sent me came into my mind. The words, “ADHD runs in the family” jumped out at me, like a snake, coiled and ready to strike. No, I told myself. I wouldn’t accept any labels besides curious and energetic. ..."The day I set foot in my...
Written in the Stars
Today marks what would have been my mother and father’s 72nd anniversary. Talk about a love story! They met acting in summer stock at the Boothbay Playhouse in Maine. As Dad put it in his memoir, Any Way I Can; 50 Years in Show Business: “My third summer at the...
Market Fiasco
...After Lee was diagnosed with ADHD, I found out that SPD often accompanied it. We went to an occupational therapist who taught us that a trip to the market wasn’t to be taken lightly. It was a transition for Lee’s brain and body, from one place to the other, and...
Run Silent, Run Deep
The other night, I thought it would be fun to take Run Silent, Run Deep, the movie my father adapted back in 1958, and watch it on our vintage Philco T.V. I loved the way the tiny screen amplified the tight space in the submarine, making it all the more real. This...
A Serious Decision – Teen ADHD Driving
...When we told Lee she would have to wait until she was 18 to drive, she was angry. But when her anxiety grew worse in tenth grade, she became fearful. My husband and I went from reassuring her it could wait to encouraging her to give it a try when she turned 18. ...
A Milestone
...I leaned back in my chair, feeling my heart swell. If I had known, when Lee was diagnosed with ADHD, that one day I’d hear these words, it would have given me so much hope. ... “Mom, Alex and I had an argument.” Lee plopped into a chair across from me at the...
Writing About My Child
...When Lee was thirteen, I went to a conference for people with ADHD and met the representative for ADDitude magazine, a leading resource for the ADHD community. Without a doubt, I knew this was the place I wanted to submit an essay. The ADDitude representative...
Recent Comments