"Illnesses"

I started thinking about all the new diseases and disorders that people have come up with in the past 10 years. It's starting to get a little outrageous, if you ask me.

Two "diseases" in particular that I'd like to recognizes are Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, (better known as ADHD), and Autism.

ADHD is apparently a condition in which a person (usually a child) has difficulty paying attention and is usually mildly to greatly hyperactive.
Now, to me, I just see this as something children do. That's normal of kids, isn't it? Not everyone is going to be a perfect little angel, sit down, and read a book.

Next, there's Autism. Autism, (particularly Asperger's syndrome), is characterized by difficulty in social atmospheres, often causing the victim to be quite anti-social.
Did anyone ever stop to think that this might just simply be who the person is? Is everyone in this world required to be a social butterfly now? Did it ever occur to some parents that their children are afraid of being judged because they've been labeled as "ill"?

I don't know if this is just me, but I've known some kids with these so-called "disorders," and they seem like perfectly normal children to me. The problem is that they've been labeled as children with problems who won't fit into society. They have mind-numbing medications forced upon them on order to "settle them down," when all they're doing is being kids.
It never occurs to anyone that this may just be who these kids are. People have different personalities, and I don't think they should have to be put on medication, (which, most meds usually have some pretty risky side-effects), to make them what this society deems "normal."

It's wrong, and it's hurtful to our children.
Don't put them on medication for being kids.

Instead, learn to be a parent.