Maybe you don't have A.D.D. Maybe you're a dancer.

With apologies to the teachers who reared my children, and to Pres. Bush's "No Child Left Behind" act, I must say that this video expresses my feelings about everything from attention deficit syndrome, to those awful "history hat" projects my children were subjected to in middle school.

What I remember from grade school was not lessons, learning math tables, etc. It was playing outside on the playground where we swept pine straw into neat borders and created elaborate cities where everyone had a purpose. My little "house" connected to my "bakery" where I made pretend bread and cakes. My friend was a doctor. When I played at home, I created an oven from a concrete block. On vacation, I opened the "door" of the window air conditioner, and stored "Sorry" game pawns in the "refrigerator." I wanted to cook.

So I married a man who loved to eat. :)

The thing that likely saved my kids from a life of crime, was marching band. Movement, music, the ability to put the two together and wire their brains to work with their feet, their lips, their breathing, their fingers, their eyes, their memory, periphereal vision, math, counting, mental patterns, posture. It is miraculous. And natural. One likes to cook, the other could care less. But they both play an instrument and their intelligence is like sparks flying across an electrical matrix. Marvelous, wonderful.

I loved that Sir Ken said there are people who must move to think. I must talk to think. Other people live in their heads and must think to talk. Some must draw to think. Some must see to draw.

To me, this is diversity. Not skin color.

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For you new moms out there, here is Abby's top 5 child raising tips. I'm going to say this once, and then shut up.

1) Never, ever, respond to a meltdown in public. The best way to deal with a tantrum is walk away, leave the writhing, screaming child in the middle of the grocery store aisle and disappear. Hide somewhere you can see the kid. As soon as they figure out they're alone in the grocery store and you may have left them there, they will snap out of it and will never do it again. Bonus: When somebody THEY love pulls the same crap, they will instinctively walk away from it.

2) Nip whining in the bud. Explain to the child: Here is a rule. If you whine for something, I will not give it to you. The first time they whine, look very sad and say: "Oh that's too bad. I wanted to say yes, but you're forcing me to keep my promise." Explain that you promised not to give it to them if they whined, and they surely wouldn't want you to break your promise...because you might then start breaking others, right? Bonus: WHen an adult, they will be so annoyed by manipulative behavior they will stand their ground.

3) Every so often, hopefully once a day, get down on your knees (or otherwise appropriate level),make eye contact with your child and talk to them. You'll be surprised how they will stop begging for your attention. Bonus: They'll know how to get someone's attention without shouting by looking them in the eye.

4) To make a child go to sleep, give him something to think about. "I'll be back in 5 minutes. Close your eyes and think of all the colors of lifesavors and tell me when I get back." Most times they will be asleep when you come back. As for infants who can't sleep, you got me on that one. But I had one who could not tolerate light and had to be in a completely dark room. From day one. The other one liked music. But think about it...whatever it is will probably become necessary their whole life in order to relax. Just my observations, there.