First: What is ADHD?!
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental health disorder that can cause above-normal levels of hyperactive and impulsive behaviors. People with ADHD may also have trouble concentrating on a single task or sitting still for long periods of time. Adults and children can have ADHD.
Signs of ADHD
A wide range of behaviors are associated with ADHD. Some of the more common ones include:
- problems concentrating or focusing on tasks
- forgetfulness in carrying out tasks
- distractibility
- interrupting people when they are talking
- difficulty staying in one place for too long
What is it like to be an ADHD parent?
1. ADHD parents feel like they have to work extra hard to keep their things organized
For them, organization, planning, focus and priorities are a challenge in themselves. Adults with ADHD who are parents feel every day the need to plan, organize or find solutions in seconds to any given problem. They feel they have to work 10 times harder to make things work in the family. They even often think that they are unable to teach their children organizational skills or a new lesson.
2. They may have problems with managing emotions
One of the biggest challenges facing an ADHD parent is regulating emotions. They don't always see things clearly, the sky is cloudy and they happen to "drown" in a problem just by overloading their brain with even unnecessary emotions. This becomes quite challenging, especially when you are a parent and we are supposed to guide and prepare children to manage their emotions as well.
A parent with ADHD can quickly lose their cool if their children are going through a stressful situation.
3. All these make them feel guilty and ashamed
Parents feel a lot of guilt about how their ADHD affects their children. The fact that they might be late for school, forget a very important date for them or just the lack of organization in their day makes them feel bad. There are added moments where they criticize themselves, or blame them for their parenting style.
4. ADHD increases stress and negative feelings in the family
Parents suffering from ADHD have trouble sleeping. They may wake up frequently during the night or have difficulty waking up in the morning. Delays, lack of organization and logistical approaches make parenting and life in general difficult.
Source: Huffington Post
