ADHD / ADD Support Group

No u r not a terrible mom. I say the same things and get frustrated also. I wonder what kind of chill pills are out there, I'm sure i'll need one too when school gets out and his meds wear off. Dont be so hard on yourself...HUGS to you!

You are not a terrible mom. You are just overwhelmed. Wow, 5 boys and trying to homeschool one with ADHD and vision problems with a baby and toddler in the house. You sound like a very loving person. Slow down and take a deep breath. Just love those boys and don't forget to enjoy them. Bless you abd your family. Jan

You are human and this is emotional for you just like it is for him. But don't blame yourself, at least you are trying to understand his diagnoses more AND you are doing something about it. I came up in a household that believed that ADHD was just a "Label" given to people who could not take control of their own kids. Further, it was thought that Ritalin was given as an excuse to not properly raise your kids. (WOW, see how ignorant people can be, yet you are in a support group trying to understand your son's symptoms better?!) At any rate, I refused any type of assistance that was or could have been made available to me because of that and to this day it is hard for me to accept the help I may need to make my life easier b/c of that negativity about ADHD placed in me during childhood. I am now 30 years old and today is only my 3rd day of medication, I am taking Adderall, 30 mg. I went through high school, college and some of law school not being fair to myself. I struggles on the SAT, the LSAT and other things because I refused additional time, medication or ANYTHING that assists with my condition because I was ashamed as if something was wrong with me. Your son and others like us can not help that we are born with ADHD (in my case, I am both ADD and ADHD), but it is ok. Some of the most brilliant people on earth are like us and it will take some time and patience to understand and deal with it, but at least you are doing that RIGHT NOW! That will definitely make a difference in his life and he will be fine, trust me. I am married with 2 boys and I am successful in life and would have been possibly more successful at a quicker pace if I had gotten the help I needed before now. Hang in there, frustrations will come and go but you will get through this. Don't beat yourself up, you are not a bad mother! :-)

I agree with everything that has already been said. I too am homeschoolong an ADHD child. I have found that frequent breaks help. We usually work for about 45 minutes then take a 15 minute break. Sometimes it is less if he is having a really hard time focusing. Also I have noticed ADHD children are very tactile. My son has to touch EVERYTHING. So I incorperate that in his lessons as much as possible. He also has a "fidget bag", a small beanbag I filled with sand. When he needs to sit still and listen, he can "fidget" with his bag. It allows him to move in a small controlled way that is not distracting to either of us. One last thing. This is HOMEschool. If you are getting frustrated, take a break. Your schedule can be as flexible as you need it to be. Good luck and hugs.

even with the best medicine I can't always concentrate maybe it's just something I have to accept and learn to deal with I hope your situation gets better.