In a moment of blank, I managed to yet again self-project onto someone. And thus I present,
WHAT TINY PATTON WENT THROUGH IN KINDERGARTEN/ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (mostly kindergarten tho) AS A KID WITH ADHD.
Now I know that this doesn’t apply to everyone, and to each their own symptoms, but I personally am not and never was hyperactive, so this is more of a mix of really severely inattentive me as a kid (what I remember and can attest to at least) and my two younger brothers, who both have either H/I or combination ADHD.
Patton was singled out. He was friends with everyone, but because of his behavior the teachers started distancing him from the other kids. His parents eventually made the decision to send him to a school a bit farther from where they live, which meant a bit more effort, but they were willing to do it.
He wasn’t a very hyperactive child, but he was very disruptive. He probably had a few books and shows that he was fixating on. More likely than not he loved Winnie the Pooh, the Lion King and the Jungle Book, because animals are adorable. And his teachers were most likely sick of it.
No, scratch that, they were definitely sick of it. He would come every morning reciting the opening of Winnie the Pooh and every naptime singing The Bare Necessities. One day one of his teachers told him “shut up and go play with the trucks” as he came in, and he cried the whole day after that.
He could never get along with the other kids. Birthday parties didn’t feel right to him (if you’ve never felt that I couldn’t envy you more), and he wasn’t invited anyway because he was... kinda weird in general. Most people believed everything bad about him, and he believed it too eventually.
But alas, not all hope is lost!
Virgil is the first to approach Patton, despite the isolation. He just recognizes that maybe they’re not that different - Virgil himself is constantly anxious about everything and his parents have talked to him about going to see a therapist (though they didn’t exactly use these words) - and decides to stick around.
When Patton comes home one day, all of a sudden not crying anymore, his mother asks him what’s going on. And he tells her everything. Today he and his new friend Virgil stayed up during naptime together, and the teachers didn’t tell him to quiet down while they were talking. But he’s the happiest over having a friend.
Roman is next. He hears Patton tell Virgil a story about a prince who ends up marrying another prince and becomes interested, eventually joining their naptime talks. At which point become very loud and they are told to try and stay as quiet as possible. He starts drawing fairybook worlds with Patton and shares his crayons with him, and when it turns out that Patton is actually really good at spelling and reading and writing they even start writing their stories down. And one of the teachers even helps them bind it in a plastic folder.
Logan may be the last, but it’s only because he truly found Patton annoying. And then one day he sees him reading a book to Virgil and Roman. And he goes to check and... yeah, he is actually reading it. When Patton sees him staring like he does, he smiles big and makes place next to him, asking Logan to join them. When Logan goes home that day he asks his parents to invite Patton over one day, and when they tell him that he’s nothing but trouble he argues against that statement.
Next thing anyone knows, the four of them are inseparable, and Patton cannot be forcibly isolated anymore. There are three sets of parents beside his own who will fight against the singling out of this precious kid, as disruptive and crazy energetic as he is. Because he’s a sweet, smart, good little boy.
His parents still move him to the farther school, but then find out that it’s the same school district as Logan and Virgil’s. Roman’s parents can’t transfer him quite yet but eventually do, right before fourth grade. The boys never quite stop being friends.
Now, this is not saying all ADHD is like this. My family is great example to this. Four out of the seven of us have it - my brothers, my dad and I - and we all differ a lot in our symptoms. This is just kind of major self-projection, specifically in the fixation and naptime things, along with just my idea of tiny Patton.
Quick facts, I used to be obsessed with a recording of the Jungle Book musical and would sing the same song every day at naptime. And I memorized books and would recite them to the teachers. So maybe a bit more than self projection.
And... I’m going to write this. If you’re interested. So... stay tuned!
@broadwaytheanimatedseries @illmamnim @royal-raccoon @face-the-ravenclaw @tinysidestrashcaptain @pasteldeceit101
