After my son's diagnosis, many people told me I should appreciate the "gifts" that accompany ADD. Leaving aside the argument over whether people can be smart without having neurological disabilities, many seem to believe that all people with ADD are tortured geniuses. People with ADD must all have amazing high-powered brains that work in mysterious ways. Einstein's theories of time make perfect sense to them, but the time required to peel potatoes is incomprehensible.
I think there is another explanation.
ADD people aren't brilliant. They just spend more time inventing ways to get work done without doing it than anyone else.
My husband would rather spend five hours automating a boring task than half an hour completing it. I'm not sure whether he truly doesn't know the automation work will take five hours, or can't bring himself to admit it.
My husband hates household chores. Cleaning, picking up, and other sorts of "mundane" work send him running for the computer. I have engaged in a variety of efforts to induce him to share the household like a responsible adult. As a mother and experienced wife who regularly dominates animals ten times my size, I can bring a great deal of pressure to bear.
My husband responded with robots. He is now iRobot's biggest fan. He spends hours programming, putting up electronic walls, troubleshooting, calling technical support, ordering replacement parts, and cleaning filters. He and my son are absolutely fascinated by the dirty Scooba filters; they examine them and oooh and ahhh as though they found gemstones instead of leaf bits glued with dog drool. I think the worse it is, the more they feel they have accomplished without "working".
Simply applying the regular vacuum cleaner with the special filtering airbags would get the floors cleaner just as quickly and provide more relief for my husband's allergies.
But that would be boring.
2 comments:
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Um, this has nothing to do with your husband's ADD (and I'm saying that as an old, old friend).
I'm saying that this has something to do with the Y-chromosome. This is how husbands get out of housework, and he's teaching your son early.
My husband doesn't build robots. He just bitches and moans and does the task so badly I don't want him to do it again.
He learned technique from MY father oddly enough, and my father knows JUST how much I appreciate that he taught him this trick. Unfortunately for J., I know what he's up to and I just make him do it over again.
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