Sometimes I just want to crawl inside my kid's ADHD brain and wade through all the things going on in there. To my neurotypical brain, hers seems very busy, chaotic, chronically hungry, and sort of like a 24/7 fireworks show. Like other parents of neuro-diverse kids, we work overtime to keep up with them, to stay ahead of the curve, to keep them safe, to figure out what motivates them and what helps them navigate a world built to suit neurotypical ones. The journey (thus far) has been full of extreme highs and lows for both of us. She has taught me over the years to appreciate the gifts that come with having ADHD and to constantly stay curious about what's going to work and what won't.
After months of discussing with her what parts of her story she wanted to share and why, we landed at today's conversation where I ask her questions that lead the rest of us a little bit closer to being able to crawl inside that spectacular and complex ADHD brain. I'm beyond proud of her for how carefully she thought her intentions for participating and for all the learning she's done in her 10.5 years.
What we don't talk about today, is how much of her lived out ADHDness has affected us as parents - that's an interview for another day. What I can share here for context, with her permission, is that you might find what she shares to feel not that difficult, but where we've come from has not been easy. ADHD in her earlier, undiagnosed years, looked more like daily 4 hour full-on dysregulated meltdowns, attempting to jump out of moving vehicles when she was 2, bystanders calling security about the toddler in the swimming pool changeroom, and a epically long sleep disorder with night terrors to boot. She rarely responded to soothing attempts, was predictably unpredictable, and too fast and risky to stay ahead of. She made our hearts race on the regular. And we love her just as passionately as we struggled to find effective ways to parent her. In the struggle, it can be hard to feel like we're effective and that we're on the same team as our kids. I'm grateful to be on a leg of the journey now where I can see there was no easier way to get to where we're at and I'm so proud of her.
If you're a parent whose child has those intense meltdowns where their emotions have literally hijacked their thinking brains, you aren't alone and there are some practical things you can do to help them regulate and get their (and your) feet back on the ground. I've compiled them in this
45 min webinar so you don't have to do weeks of research to figure out what works. AND....during our series on Neurodiverse Families, you can access this webinar
here at 20% off with this Coupon Code: COREG2021
My daughter and I wish you and your kids strong connection building and ways of navigating the bumps and bruises together,
Karen