Jennifer Gay Summers
The Blog
News | Moments | Life stories from Jennifer
Blogs
More
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...
Sometimes A Great Notion
The summer after my father passed away, my family rented a beach house in Lincoln City, Oregon. What better way to remember him, I thought, than revisit a time that still felt magical? I’d been a young teenager and a budding actress when Dad took us on location for...
Knowledge is Power
... To hell with what other people thought or the obstacles I might face along the way. I signed up for the CHADD conference and my world did a 180. From doctors to psychologists, to educators, to other moms in support groups, I found my ADHD community...In my...
Every Child with ADHD Needs a Miss Ellie
I’m excited to share with you a blog published in ADDitude this month, “Every Child with ADHD Needs a Miss Ellie.” Click on the link for the full blog. https://www.additudemag.com/hyperactive-adhd-girl-preschool/BlogsRelated
Recent Comments