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As a mother with ADHD and two children with ADHD how do we deal with the world . How can we get people to understand ADHD,aniexty,and depression ?
Submitted By gena

Dear Gena,

I also have experiences with kids and people in my life being diagnosed with these apparent disorders. However, I have learned through my experience to view all of these people like I view everyone else; as perfect. You are perfect. Your children are perfect. You just have heightened senses that you must learn to manage as do your children.

I feel when someone is labeled, they feel like they have a big red “X” on their forehead saying, “I HAVE A CONDITION, I AM NOT NORMAL!” Don’t you feel like that even when you wrote this,”I have ADHD?” Who wants to carry that cross around for the rest of their lives? No one!

The reality is that you actually have a gift that you are learning how to manage and understand and utilize to your benefit. It is not important that other people understand. It is important that you love who you are and your kids love who they are. From there, you find the communities, clubs, job and schools who will accept you and your children for who you are. If other people choose to treat you and your children differently than that is their issue, not yours. Forgive them for their unawareness, move on and move forward.

I believe you have a heightened sense of awareness and the symptoms that you feel sabotage you, can be real gifts in your life if you center them that way. It takes work and a positive attitude.

Do you pray or meditate every day to get centered? Do you write down all of your ideas that flood your mind and then read them and see which ones to pursue and take action to completion? Do you look at your children as perfect when you are the height of your frustration with them and think, “I’m going to call some friends and search the Internet for new ideas to address this behavior.” None of this is easy, but make the time and little by little you will take the actions that will make yourself and your children more peaceful within and ultimately, more productive in the world around us.

As more and more people become depressed and more and more children are diagnosed with ADHD, ADD and every letter combination in the alphabet, we have to look at the pattern. We are being overwhelmed with processed foods which make it more difficult to keep ourselves and our kids eating healthily. We are also all moving at such a fast pace to keep up with technology, our peers, our bills, our children’s scholastic futures. Don’t even get my own mother started on all the sports programs lined up for Sundays now, “the day of rest.” “This should be a family day, she insists!” I think her point is that all the stuff with which we are so busy, won’t matter if we are not centered in love as a family.

We parents are all learning how to maneuver this pace and guide the super smart and sensitive kids we are raising today. So you and I, we all are part of the exciting future of understanding. The first thing to understand is that you and your children are perfect! Now, take this and run with it!

Love, Linda

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