ADHD / ADD Support Group
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and attention deficit disorder (ADD) are more common than you might think. It is a syndrome that exhibits symptoms such as hyperactivity, forgetfulness, mood shifts, poor impulse control, and distractibility. Join others who suffer from these conditions and share your experiences.
Hi all,
A year ago, our 23 year old grandson came to live with us. He's got a great job and doing well at it. When he first moved in, even though we knew he had ADD, we had never really experienced it on a daily basis. (He would come to visit us for a few weeks a year). We have all adjusted pretty much to him living with us and us living with him. However, as much as we explain to him that he MUST lock the front door at night he will continually have lapses where he just does not lock the door (like after he has gone to the market in the evening, or to get something out of his car, or if he comes home late at night after being out with friends). I have tried to correlate him locking the doors in our house the same way as he would lock his car door. He tends to always lock his car door. I have tried to explain that the reason he locks his car door is because he does not want anything stolen or for his car to be stolen, and in the same way to treat our home like he treats his car, we don't want anything stolen out of our home. He understands what we are saying to him, and he knows he needs to lock the front door, but this seems to be one thing he cannot remember to do. I have to go downstairs after he goes to bed and make sure the door is locked. this is getting old, and short of putting a big sign in the area by the front door saying "IT IS NIGHTTIME - HAVE YOU LOCKED THE FRONT DOOR??" I am at a loss of what to do. He has been known to also do this with our sliding doors also. Any suggestions?
A year ago, our 23 year old grandson came to live with us. He's got a great job and doing well at it. When he first moved in, even though we knew he had ADD, we had never really experienced it on a daily basis. (He would come to visit us for a few weeks a year). We have all adjusted pretty much to him living with us and us living with him. However, as much as we explain to him that he MUST lock the front door at night he will continually have lapses where he just does not lock the door (like after he has gone to the market in the evening, or to get something out of his car, or if he comes home late at night after being out with friends). I have tried to correlate him locking the doors in our house the same way as he would lock his car door. He tends to always lock his car door. I have tried to explain that the reason he locks his car door is because he does not want anything stolen or for his car to be stolen, and in the same way to treat our home like he treats his car, we don't want anything stolen out of our home. He understands what we are saying to him, and he knows he needs to lock the front door, but this seems to be one thing he cannot remember to do. I have to go downstairs after he goes to bed and make sure the door is locked. this is getting old, and short of putting a big sign in the area by the front door saying "IT IS NIGHTTIME - HAVE YOU LOCKED THE FRONT DOOR??" I am at a loss of what to do. He has been known to also do this with our sliding doors also. Any suggestions?
Actually, seriously.
I once had to label all my dresser drawers with what was inside. It was taking too long in the morning to keep opening every drawer until I found the pants, open every drawer until I found the shirts, etc.
I really do not Think he is doing it on purpose. Sometimes you forget the simplest things, and it is very frustrating for the person with ADD who is forgetting.
Yeah, I think you are right....putting a sign up is probably what I will have to do. I agree, I don't think he is doing this on purpose.
Thanks for your response.