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Re: ADHD parents dealing with ADHD Kids

Re: ADHD parents dealing with ADHD Kids2012-06-26T21:06:20+00:00

The Forums Forums Tools, Techniques & Treatments ADHD parents dealing with ADHD Kids Re: ADHD parents dealing with ADHD Kids

#114962

sdwa
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Post count: 363

It’s a great question. And depressing. Sometimes I feel like it’s my fault my kid has ADHD, because I have it. I was so stressed out when I was pregnant with him. I wonder if my stress level, coupled with a diet of pepperoni pizza, contributed. Also, it was a rough delivery for him, he had jaundice.

What motivates him is what interests him, but that doesn’t always fit in with what they teach in school. He’s got college-level interests in the 7th grade (philosophy and linguistics).

My biggest concern is that it’s almost impossible to get him off of the internet. He spends waaaay too much time online. The only good part is that he plays games with older people, and he wants them to think he’s 21 instead of 13, so he’s really expanded his vocabulary.

I’m definitely the inattentive type, and suffer from chronic inertia more than anything else. I think as a kid I was motivated to do things I received recognition for – positive feedback and encouragement – things that I did well got noticed. The down side was that my identity became very wrapped up in what I did well, but that’s not the end of the world.

I find that as I learn more about my ADHD and how to treat it, including dietary changes and supplements, I’m better able to encourage good habits in my son, because I know the value of them first hand. He got diagnosed at age 5 because he was so hyperactive, but I didn’t get diagnosed until he was quite a bit older. I wish I had known more, earlier.

I’ve never been the sort of “high-acceptance, high-control” parent the parenting books say we should be. I have a tendency to be permissive and not overly involved. On the one hand, I think that encourages compassion, acceptance, resourcefulness, and tolerance in my kids, but on the other hand, probably leaves them somewhat cast adrift, which is not so great for an ADHD kid. I think kids with ADHD benefit from consistent routines and structure. But if I can’t impose that on myself, how can I impose it on anyone else?

My guess is that setting up an environment where my son will find the things that interest him naturally and not find the things that take him off track would be helpful. Following the path of least resistance, and/or path of what leads him to hyper-focus in a positive way, might be the ticket. I haven’t quite worked out what that would be, but for example, we’ve done a lot of reading together. I could drag him out to university lectures and whatnot IF I can get him out of the house.

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