We're so excited about becoming parents. Our child is born and we're just thrilled. Before long, maybe six to nine months down the road reality hits that children are born, but they don't come with instructions.

Many parents are scared, shocked, depressed, or even freaked out when they find out that their lovely newborn has turned into a hyperactive, uncontrollable, stressful little human being. The new parents of children with what is often labelled as attention deficit with hyperactivity are in for a ride of their own. What do you do when you little one behaves or misbehaves as if you were watching 10 children, not one.

My son Craig started to show his hyperactivity around six months of age. As an parent who had no clue about what I was about to experience and being a first-time parent not having any previous children to compare this behavior or situtation to, I was absolutely lost. I cried just about every day for about six months because I just didn't know what to do. That was 22 years ago. Now, you have a situation and can read articles like this on the internet or do research and get millions of ideas in an instant. The world have changed and more information and guidance is available to you. Thank-God.

Where would you start if you notice that your child is extremely active? Well, I'm not a doctor, but I am a mom with an MBA. I looked for clues for absolutely anything that would help get my son's attention and keep him busy, interested, or occupied.

I found the 90-minute Care Bears videos with positive loving messages a good thing. I went to the library and checked out books. I sat down with my son and found out that if I would read to him and he could look at pictures in a book, he'd stay in once place. By the time Craig was 2 years old, he would actually sit with me through 10 books in one sitting.

Next you're probably wondering what happens when a child is exposed to so many books, ideas, pictures, and words. He absorbs the information and words like a sponge and gets very smart, very young. I enrolled him in a Montessori program at 2 years old and it was great. I am happy for every penny spent because he had individualized attention, a key for kids with attention deficit and he learned so much.

The Montessori program taught him how to read by 3 years of age and then I made another parenting mistake, I enrolled my son in public school for kindergarten. He was too advanced for the class and bored and in trouble on a daily basis.

I was at work on day with my son in kindergarten when I received a phone call from the principal advising me to pick up my son because he had been suspended from kindergarten. I told the principal that I had to work for a living and didn't want to call the school board to explain that the school and teacher was unequipped to handle a five year old so they chose to suspend him from school.

It got worse. Standard testing results showed that Craig's verbal skills were at the 99th percentile of all children . It's great to have a brilliant child ,but if you combine intelligence and attention deficit with hyperactivity it's not an easy parenting . . First grade was a bigger nightmare. Craig needed a small, private program, but I kept him in public school. I was in the office daily and threatened that my son had to be medicated or find another school. I had Craig take the Ritilin for a few months and then I refused to continue with Ritilin. Say "NO" to giving your child drugs so the school can cope. Find alternatives, it will be worth the effort.