Something Fishy Going On

I didn’t think I’d have to worry about things like discovering my child’s secret stash until the teenage years but just the other week we found Max’s pills under the couch.

His fish oil pills.

It had been a good three months or so since Max was on the stimulant that suppressed his appetite and prevented him from falling asleep at bedtime. The fish oil supplements continued to do a good job of managing his behaviors. That’s not to say we haven’t had our share of outbursts and difficult days – but no more that what we were dealing with when he was on the prescription medication.

I came to expect Max’s resistance at taking that spoonful of yogurt laced with Focalin every morning. But I thought that struggle was over. He didn’t complain about having to take the fish oil.

And then we discovered a stray pill in the family room. I figured Max must have dropped one and wasn’t able to find it. But when I found a couple of them under the couch, I knew it was no accident.

I asked Max if he had been hiding his pills and the grin on his face gave him away.

So mornings are back to being a struggle. I can no longer just hand him his four pills in his plastic Spiderman cup along with his morning milk and jump into the shower. Dave or I have to watch and make sure he takes them. It’s not that Max has trouble getting them down – the pills are very small in size.

I think it’s just the idea that he needs them that he finds hard to swallow.