Are you a terrible parent?

First, let me ease your fears… The fact that you are reading this proves that you are NOT in fact a terrible parent.  As parents, we all question ourselves from time to time.  Are we doing the right thing? Are we good parents? When our children have ADHD or other emotional/behavior problems, these questions can haunt us.  To make things worse, we have to deal with people questioning our child’s ADHD, behavior, and often times, questioning our parenting.  All too often, parents here comments like, “Your child just need… (more discipline, structure, motivation, etc.)”  These comments can make us feel as if we are doing something wrong.  Even worse, there are people who suggest that there is no such thing as ADHD and that all of our children’s problems are the result of bad parenting.

I can recall a conversation I had a few years back.  This person believed that ADHD did not exist, and that it was some made up diagnosis aimed at medicating our kids into submission and filling the pockets of the pharmaceutical companies.  No matter how much I disputed his beliefs, citing scientific research, recounting personal experiences, and attempting to educate him on the history of ADHD (which dates back as far as 1798!), there was no swaying him.  I share this story because it highlights the misconceptions and ignorance surrounding ADHD.

Let’s face it, raising a child with ADHD is nothing short of challenging.  For this reason, the parents of ADHDers need to empower themselves through education, self-care, and understanding.  We all make mistakes! We will make mistakes, and our children will make mistakes.  However, as long as you are putting forth your best effort to do what’s right for your child, you are not a bad parent!

Oh, and just a forewarning… You will inevitably come across information that will make you question the way you’ve dealt with your child in the past.  Do not beat yourself up over it! Hindsight is always 20/20, and as long as we are trying, our children will (eventually) appreciate us. At the very least, they will know we did our best.