You’re a Special Snowflake

Something happened between Gen X and Millennial. Gen Xers got labeled as apathetic slackers who couldn’t accomplish anything due to lack of personal motivation. Doctor’s prescription? Suck it up. Get a job. Wear less black. Stop watching reruns of Ren and Stimpy. And for Christ’s sake, quit dying your hair...

By Jamie Laughlin

April 8, 2010

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Something happened between Gen X and Millennial. Gen Xers got labeled as apathetic slackers who couldn’t accomplish anything due to lack of personal motivation. Doctor’s prescription? Suck it up. Get a job. Wear less black. Stop watching reruns of Ren and Stimpy. And for Christ’s sake, quit dying your hair with Kool-Aid.

Millennials received an entirely different diagnosis: excessive mental multitasking. ADD and ADHD labels are slapped on kids who prefer to think about more exciting things — like boys and making out with them — than long division. Other tell-tale signs of behavioral disorder? Children who are plagued with loads of unfortunate, child-like energy. Prescription? Ritalin and/or Adderall. Whatever it takes to make Algebra Two seem… fascinating.

And guess what? It totally worked. That’s why these kids have better-paying jobs than you and can afford tickets ($35 to $55 a pop) for the new play Distracted. (Insert ADHD, post-intermission joke here.)

Yep, the joys and woes faced by a family dealing with Attention Deficit Disorder make up the focal point of this wildly popular stage production, which opens at 2 p.m. Sunday and runs through May 16 at Caldwell Theatre (7901 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton). Call 561-241-7432, or visit caldwelltheatre.com.
Sun., April 11, 2 p.m.; April 11-May 16, 2010

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