ADHD – A Frustrated Parent
The following is a quote from a parent that is both very frustrated and at the same time very concerned about her son.
“I can’t take it anymore! We scream all morning to get out of the house. Homework takes hours. If I don’t help him with his work, he’s so disorganized that he’ll never get it done. If I do help him, he screams at me. Since he never finishes anything, everyone thinks he doesn’t care. No matter how much we beg, or punish, he keeps doing the same stupid things over and over again. He never considers the consequences of his actions, and he doesn’t seem to care if they hurt me. It’s so easy for him to get overwhelmed. He is so inflexible, and then blows up over anything. It gets me so angry that I scream back, which makes everything even worse. Now that he’s getting older, the lies and the cursing is getting worse, too. I know he has trouble paying attention, but why does he have all these other problems as well?”
Words that often describe the feeling that parents of children with ADHD / ADD have include:
- frustrated
- stressed out
- frightened
- angry
- exhausted
- discouraged
- burned out
- worried
- overwhelmed
- confused
- inadequate
- embarrassed
- trapped
- helpless
- hopeless
These feelings are real and parents need to have a safe place to express them but they also need to understand that they must discover a way to manage those feelings. The best way to do that is to figure out the best way to manage your child’s symptoms.
Behavioural Management Systems has been helping families figure out the best way to manage their children’s behaviour for over 40 years.