Getting to School on Time, with ADHD

The usual stress of the morning rush is expected during an average family’s weekday. The 8:00 hour looms heavily overhead. This everyday challenge increases significantly when dealing with a child who has ADHD.

It seems that no matter what time you wake your child up, there are far too many distractions standing in the way of getting out the door in a timely manner. The frustration mounts as each minute passes by. This occurrence almost becomes dreaded as the parent wakes up each morning knowing what battles lie ahead.

To help make the mornings easier, make it a rule to have the child bathe the night before. This will save a significant amount of time and headache to have this chore out of the way. The clothes should be laid out the night before: again, less distraction to help your child remain focused.

A healthy breakfast should always be fed. If your child is taking any type of medication for the treatment of ADHD, breakfast should come before the daily pill, as some of the medications’ side effects act as appetite suppressants.

Some parents swear by allowing the child to watch television in the morning, or to play video games, such as the Wii, in order to get the child’s mind moving and to help wake them up. This may not be a recommended idea as it may actually slow the child down in his morning. With his focus needed on getting dressed, the distraction may be too great. The arguments that may stem from such allowances will start the day off on the wrong foot for both you and your child.

 A successful morning may call for your constant monitoring; helping your child to stay focused and avoid unnecessary distractions. Remember, it is far harder to be the child with ADHD than it is to be the parent without. The distractions of the morning should be limited. The expectations should be set. Take a deep breath, be realistic. Allow for a not-so perfect morning and help your child help himself have a successful day.

An Epiphany is Needed

Eyes are open, wide open. We all know in our family what is going on. You must prepare yourself for the next occurrence, what the ADHD can sometimes bring into your family. Mental and emotional preparation is needed.

A week or so will go by, things will be status quo. The normal aggravations are there. The daily reminding, the morning routine taking up to two hours that you think in all fairness should take no more than thirty minutes. The occasional teacher telling you that multiple reminders were given to keep your child focused that day. You know it happens, but cringe when the teacher is looking at you, as you wish you could fix at least that one problem.

Problems will occur when a child suffers from ADHD, sometimes of great significance. When that "something" does happen, you lose it emotionally. You do, you are so upset you don’t know where to turn, what to say or what to do. If you turn your back on what happened and don’t address it, then it will happen again. But if you do confront the problem head on, the same way as you have before, you feel nothing will matter, nothing will change.

The ADHD can actually act as a hindrance to change. The new learning is sometimes impossible as the information is quick to be discarded by the brain. The thinking pattern stops and does not consider the consequences if the brain does not accept the new thinking. This is true.

Once in a while an epiphany is needed. As a parent, this is your responsibility to try things different, even if it is more energy than you can muster. You want to get through; you have to get through to the child. He is looking at you and listening, and you hope to God that he is learning.

Grab all the steadfastness that you can, figure out a new way to handle it. 

Next time do it, handle it differently. Recall the moment you knew that an epiphany was necessary for things to be different. When the moment occurs again, when you feel you are about to explode into a million pieces, close your eyes and remember the new pattern that you have decided to try. Open your eyes, it’s time to execute.