It is not easy raising an child with ADHD, or in my case, raising three, but I would not trade it for the world. Having children with ADHD helped me to acknowledge my ADHD and to come to understand the gifts and joys of raising children with ADHD. Each one of my children has taught me so much but todays blog is about my youngest child.
I received a card from my youngest daughter a few months ago. It is a picture of five little ballerinas. Four little ballerinas are standing at the barre as their teacher has instructed them to do and the fifth little ballerina is hanging upside down on that barre. The card reads; “Look on the bright side mom – At least you don’t have to worry about me following the crowd”.
What a great card and what a great message. My youngest, as do all of us in our family, struggles with ADHD. She has always marched to the beat of a different drummer or more appropriately ran to the beat of a different drummer. And she has NEVER followed the crowd. Even when following the crowd would have made her life a lot easier she stuck to her guns and did what she thought was right. As she was growing up I loved her self-awareness in knowing who she was and being able to say no to peer pressure. Having ADHD helped her to realize that being different was not “bad”, it was just who she was and it gave her the strength to stick to her values and not always follow the crowd.
I am so impressed by the inner strength she has shown and is still showing today. My youngest is studying to be a teacher and I can’t think of a better person to go into teaching. Knowing what she has gone through and accomplished will make her an empathetic and very caring teacher.
Having a child (or children) with ADHD might mean some extra work at times but for me the rewards have far outweighed the extra effort that we put into raising them. It also made for some very lively dinners!
Look for the ways that ADHD can be a positive attribute in your child’s life and enjoy them for who they are – ADHD and all!
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