Let Boys Be Non-Medicated Boys -- By: Greg Gibson

Journal: Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
Volume: JBMW 20:2 (Fall 2015)
Article: Let Boys Be Non-Medicated Boys
Author: Greg Gibson


Let Boys Be Non-Medicated Boys

Greg Gibson

Family Ministries Pastor
Foothills Church
Knoxville, Tennessee

We’ve all heard it before—stories, that is, from people reminiscing about the “good ol’ days” when they were kids.

“When I was a boy,” they say with an antiquated shimmer in their eye, “we could roam the streets, climb the tallest of trees, and discover adventure with an undaunted courage that would rival the expeditions of Lewis and Clark.” As a confession, I love it when I get a chance to talk with folks about “the good ol’ days,” and I have heard this type of reflection many times when talking to older men about their childhood. In fact, I remember feeling this way at times when I was a child. There seemed to be no limits to what we could do in our neighborhood—our arena. The only “rules” my parents gave us were to not leave the neighborhood and to not go into anyone’s home. Other than that, there were no rules… so it seemed. The neighborhood was ours for the taking. It was our own Appalachian Trail to explore; our own urban landscape to inspect—every nook and cranny.

I remember feeling at home when I was exploring the neighborhood, being outside, and unleashing my Mt. Everest amount of energy onto beaten-up driveway basketball courts and cul-de-sacs that were scarred with bicycle tire marks. It was home. It was familiar. It was a place I didn’t get into trouble for my energy levels. Yes, it was kid world—as my mother-in-law calls it—but I could breathe, because there were no walls, no desks, and no quiet times where I had to sit still and conform to an expectation of a modern learning style.

However, when the time came to sit at that desk during school hours, I felt far from home. Early on in my schooling, I learned quickly that I abhorred school. I earned heaps of trouble; I couldn’t ever sit still; and I had atrocious grades. Like many boys with mountains of energy about them, it was considered a problem. Because of this, the answer for my learning disabilities and bad behavior

was Ritalin. I was on Ritalin for two full school years. I don’t fault my parents, but it was terrible; it completely changed my personality. I went from vibrant and full of life to shy and awkward. I didn’t talk to anyone while I was medicated. When the Ritalin eventually wore off, I found myself returning to my normal personality—after school—when it was time to return to the comfort zone of wandering my neighborhood.

My story is a common story for many boys. I talk with parents often about their intentions in medicating with Ritalin. I get it. They want their boys to s...

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