Chris Solaas’ “LIFE IN HYPERSPACE” is a delightful and insightful read

LIFE IN HYPERSPACE                                 By Chris Solaas

 Call #1: Wife Rebecca, “Is clear-coat poisonous?”

            Explanation: Young son John had heard Chris and Rebecca discussing how the cat’s coat wasn’t shiny anymore. John wanted to help the cat.

 Call #2: Wife Rebecca, “How far are you from home and do you want to meet us at the ER?”

Explanation: Daughter Rachel was looking for the DVD remote in the van and slammed the door on her finger. “You can see the bone!” adds son Justin.

All of these happened in the mini-intro to LIFE IN HYPERSPACE by Chris Solaas. Subtitled, “Humor, Help and Hope for Families with ADHD From one ADHD Family to Another,” this book contains excerpts from Solaas’ family’s life combined with insightful understanding—and occasional devotions—on the situation shared and on life in general.

About LIFE IN HYPERSPACE

Spray painting the cat? What was he thinking?? With four-year college degrees under our belts and a dab of training in Child Psychology, my wife and I thought we were ready for anything when it came to this parenting gig. We had no idea we would be outnumbered and outgunned. From diet to riot, meds to charts, we’ve tried it all to train up our ADHD kids in the way they should grow. From the Home School of Hard Knocks, our four ADD and ADHD kids have taught us more about coping and planning ahead than any four-year college degree could have, especially when it comes to understanding what goes on in the mind of a five-year-old in a Buzz Lightyear costume flying on a treadmill. To Infinity, and Beyond. This is the chronicle of two adult ADD parents and their four ADD/ADHD kids living in a loving madhouse with four neurotic cats and a snow white bi-eyed monster dog that eats trees. Inside you will find more laughs and maybe some help and advice for what to do with the ADD kids in your own home, from someone who’s Been There, Done That.

 I began smiling while reading the above-mentioned phone calls introduction. I have five children, we homeschooled them, and the situations mentioned in LIFE IN HYPERSPACE reminded me of snippets from my own family’s life. Solaas stories, lessons learned, and wisdom gained are written in easy-to-read snippets that makes it difficult to put down the book.

In the Introduction, Chris Solaas shared a time when he and Rebecca were trying to get the family ready to go to an event and they were late. Get the children off their games to find their shoes and socks, which takes longer than someone without children would understand. They checked the diaper bag; they had diapers for the baby, but not bottles. Rebecca goes back inside to prepare the bottles. As they headed to the van, two daughters announced they needed a book and to go potty. Finally, everyone was in the van, buckled in, when Chris and Rebecca realized; neither one knew what event they were late for.

The Solaas’ wild and crazy life continues from there. Having a child diagnosed ADHD, Chris and Rebecca realized from their child’s symptoms that they both were ADD. Their young son wanting to wind up Daddy’s special clock on the mantle, only to discover—too late—that the mantle wouldn’t bear his weight. Yep, it broke. Telling their son not to jump up-and-down on the couch, only to realize later that the boy was climbing over the stair banister and jumping down—not up and down—on the couch. A clogged up toilet led to their learning their son—after listening to the story of Noah and the Flood—had later stuffing an elephant from a toy Noah’s Ark into the toilet so it would get sucked down by the whirlpool.

In each of these stories, Solaas shares parenting insights he has gained. You have to be precise with how to talk to your child. “Did you jump up and down on the couch?” should be “Did you jump down on the couch?” Determining what foods exacerbates the ADHD and what on earth can they eat instead?

Solaas also shares spiritual insights he has gained from these situations of God’s love and care for each of His children.

LIVING IN HYPERSPACE is a delightful read. If you don’t have children—or are never around children—you might wonder, “What is going on in the Solaas family?” If you have children, you might find yourself smiling as you remember similar situations from your own life and the lessons you learned.

Click here to order LIFE IN HYPERSPACE from Amazon.