I know I am giving my age away by quoting this old public service message about the dangers of drugs, but that slogan has been on my mind for the past week or so, largely because we have made the choice to give my younger son drugs for ADHD. Drugs specifically meant to effect his brain. Therefore: this is your brain, this is your brain on drugs.

Drugs = frying your brain.

In Little J's case, if I were able to redo the commercial it might first picture an egg frying in a pan, with the words, "This is your brain." While the next part of the slogan came on "and this is your brain on drugs," we'd see the egg lift up in the air (in backwards motion) and slide back into the shell. The crack in the shell would miraculously heal over and the egg would be placed back into the full dozen that is came from, or even better, back in the nest.

Now, I know that the "drugs" referenced in that classic 80s PSA were not the kind of drugs Little J is on, but still, that slogan repeats in my head. The way my child has been acting for the past week or so, ever since we got the dosing right on his ADHD medication, has been miraculous. And weird! We were so used to one Little J - the crashing, screaming, insulting, annoying, hard-to-live with little guy - and he's been replaced by another Little J - by a quiet, plays-by-himself for more than 30 seconds at a time, respectful, calm, happy little fella. It's eerie!

He's still himself. He's still spontaneous and interesting and passionate about things. He is not perfectly happy or perfectly well-behaved anything like that...except that now we can see the perfect little self that was buried underneath the opposition, the hyperactivity, the screaming, and the constant barrage of noise and activity.

He has been talking a lot and asking a lot of questions. He has been listening for the answers. We've actually been - gasp! - conversing!

When the kids get home from school we talk and they go play! They go play! (not fight or scream or break things or hurt each other...)

I am so glad that I swallowed my doubts and pushed for an evaluation.