From the article: Tips for Parenting ADHD Children
Sometimes it helps to have a place to share worries and concerns about raising a child with ADHD. It is so easy to become isolated and keep these worries buried deep inside. The problem is holding in worries and stressors only makes a person feel worse. Sometimes a “Worry Dump” can help.
The "Worry Dump" is a place to share anxieties, both major and minor, about raising a child with ADHD. Feel free to dump a big load of your own worries by posting here.
Dump Your Worries HereFinishing College
- I worry that my daughter will not finish college. Because she becomes easily overwhelmed, she has taken only a few classes each semester. Although at first I thought it best that she set her own pace, she has become tired of school and has dropped out for a time. She is 26 years old and has not completed an associates degree.
- —Guest CG
ADD, Depression, 18 and College
- I worry about my very bright, high academic, low social achieving daughter. She has struggled with ADHD, depression and weight for years. I just want her to make some friends and enjoy life with all the special gifts she has. My second daughter 13 has ADD, no depression and is soaring. This site is great.
- —Guest patricia
Making Friends
- I worry about my son's self esteem since he gets bullied so bad at school and only has 2 friends to speak of. He avoids public places just to stay clear of classmates that make fun of him. It's awful.
- —Juligotto
Worry About Middle School
- My son had a really bad time at school this past year and I am worried about next year. By the end of the year it got to the point that he just didn't want to go. Next year starts middle school and I am as anxious as he is!! It is painful to see his light and excitement dimming around school.
- —Guest Jonahsmom
Worry about LIFE
- My son has ADD, and while bright enough to 'fake it' in school, he's clearly not keeping on top of what's being instructed. But he's quiet - he isn't an obvious 'problem', so he's not getting much help in terms of reminders to stay on track. He's improved in many ways over the past year with a supportive teacher, but there's so much more to go.
- —sylrayj
How Can I Stop Worrying So Much?
- School just started a week ago and the teacher, who was told that our son has ADHD, called the 2nd day of school to "complain" about how he is acting in class. She's sent negative comments home every day in his folder now for the last 7 days along with ALL the incomplete work from class (on top of all the homework she gives). Two years in a row of hearing nothing but complaints, no help offered for him (even though we've begged!) and here we go again. Smart, great kid, with no support at school. Not sure if I can stand another year of this.
- —Guest Teresa
MomAdvocate
- Teresa, with the diagnosis of ADHD, you have a right to a 504 designation for your son. If he's not in a public school, then you still should be given the classroom accommodations afforded a child with a 504 (preferential seating, reduced assignments, a quiet place with extra time and breaks for testing...to name only a few). You also have a right to a teacher who has experience with students with ADHD and knowledge about it (or at least the compassion to learn from/with you for the sake of your son and others). Be a squeaky wheel at his school until his needs are met and before all of the teacher's negativity takes its toll. You are your son's best advocate. He is lucky to have you and will hopefully continue to view himself as the smart and wonderful kid you see. But key to this is having a teacher who is willing to see him this way as well, and to make the accommodations necessary for his learning style so that he can shine. Best of luck!
- —Guest Lor
Worried!
- After reading about:Worry about Student with ADHD from Daisy Tome, --a teacher that doesn't know how to treat and react to the situation of having an ADD kid in his class-- makes clear to me that a HUGE problem that we all have --kids+parents+teachers-- is that nobody seems to be ready to deal with this. Teachers should be better trained to manage this situation with the parents because by the time parents find out all this big deal at school is too late: the teacher hating having them in the class, no kids wanted to be around them, they have to be seated away from others without explanation and as a result, kids with low self-esteem hating going to school etc etc etc, so for me the beginning of this should be preparing teachers with training and a lot of information of the problematic and how to deal with it and with helping parents with the hole process without waiting until it is too late for every one.
- —Jantest
Will he resent me?
- My son, who is 10 (not my biological son, but I'm the only father he has known) was diagnosed with ADHD five years ago. It has always been hard for us to get along, but as he gets older I feel like he's just getting further away from me. I can understand him not taking interest in my own interests, but he can be so rude and disrespectful a lot of the time. Which frustrates me and pushes me to anger. I know that I give too much negative feedback, but it can be so hard when being nice is only returned by smart mouth comments, being ignored, or mocked. It doesn't help that his mother (also ADD) doesn't want to be seen as a "bad guy" and doesn't help with discipline at all. Will he resent me when he's older for trying to provide him with as many opportunities as I can? Will I ever be close enough to him to feel like he has a slight amount of respect for me as his father?
- —Guest Doubting Dad
Bad attitude and depression
- My boy (12) has a tough time with courteous behavior and is going through depression. I only have him 50% of time and the other time with mother is not helping with structure and discipline. Very tough to be the disciplinary and have a positive relationship.
- —Guest Frustrated Father
School issues
- My child doesn't have behavior issues with his ADD. He's a very social kid with a couple of close friends but has always had trouble keeping organized, loses homework, and ends up making up an assignment up to 3 times. It's frustrating! Finally, I asked for testing to be completed at the school (they have to) and he was above average in everything except his cognitive functioning. He scored incredibly low and now has some modifications at school and his self esteem is up and I have seen remarkable improvements. Don't take no for an answer.
- —Guest Guest
Homeschooling vs. Medication
- My son just turned 6 and has all the symptoms of the inattentive ADHD. So far the school has told me to see a doctor and I have tried 2 different medications that make him sick :( So I don't want to continue giving him the meds, even though the teacher told me he has done 100% better with his work with the second medicine. If I continue to leave him in school without helping the ADHD they think he will not get enough 1 on 1 attention and fall into special ed. category (even though right now his test scores are above average and IQ is too high to be eligible for special ed.) So I have considered homeschooling him since I don’t work as I am a housewife. He doesn't want to go to school and says the kids won't even play with him at recess.
- —Guest mrs.simpsonian
Son Gets into Tools & Takes Things Apart
- I did the same thing when I was a kid, and I now have a great engineering mind. My son has always been the same way, so we bought him his own tools. You can pick up odds and ends of tools at yard-sales, ARC, and Goodwill. Don't discourage this, it's a good thing.
- —Guest myspiritsoars
Will He Give Up on Life
- I worry about at what point do they give up on life, give up on trying? In trouble all the time, forget everything. It scares me to think of what might happen if he just quits? His Dad does not give positive feedback and I am really concerned.
- —Karleejoe
Worried about Job
- My 17-year-old son just started a part-time job and his boss thinks he is being a "smart ass" already!! HELP!!!
- —Guest A
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