According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Mental Health, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is one of the most common childhood brain disorders. ADHD affects 5 to 8 percent of school age children, and 2-4 percent of adults, according to the National Resource Center on ADHD. Whether you have ADHD yourself, or are trying to raise a child showing signs of this neurobiological disorder – you are not alone.
Parenting is not an easy task. When your child is showing signs of ADHD, like the inability to finish tasks or focus in school, the job of a parent suddenly becomes even more difficult. Sometimes it may feel like you are all alone in your struggle, or that even your close friends and fellow parents don’t understand what you go through daily.
There may be times when you feel like you hate yourself and your child, forgetting momentarily how impossible that is. You and I both know you don’t really hate your kid, you just need a second to forget the current tantrum and remember the tiny-armed hugs, sticky-mouthed kisses and the time spent laughing about everything and nothing.
Having a child with special challenges like ADHD is hard on parents who worry that their child will never quite fit in with the world, or who feel like the only real safe place for their kids is in their arms. Except the truth is, parents of kids without ADHD feel the same way. The world can be cruel and terrifying at times, but that’s no reason to hide from it.
Although your children may have struggled with signs of ADHD in the past, they could still surprise you with their own form of success. The important thing is to continue to show them that you’re there for them, ready to push them towards the spotlight they deserve.
Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or CHADD, is a nonprofit organization that provides “education, advocacy and support for individuals with ADHD,” according to their website. The CHADD site also offers some great blogs for further reading about ADHD, one in particular about parenting a child with ADHD.
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