Terrible Mother (A Poem)

I am a terrible mother

Or so I've been told

By those with the answers

By those who are so bold

Your child needs more discipline 

More structure, tough love

Spend more time, spend less time

I choose to rise above

For I know what it's like

I know my child best  

I know not a day goes by

Where she doesn't put me to the test

I know her strength

Her weakness, her fear 

I know every time she falls

We both shed a tear

So I am a terrible mother

I'll choose to ignore the crowd

All I can do is my best

And for that I am proud

A Higher Calling

Okay. I'm going to rewind here for a minute. Looking at my past I struggled. To say that school was a challenge, is an understatement.  The harder I tried, the harder it was to pay attention.  Then there was the feelings of social awkwardness.  (However, my habit of butting in on other people's conversations is actually how I ended up meeting one of my best friends.  But I digress...) I lacked motivation.  I was bored.  I felt like I had no direction.  To make matters worse, I was constantly beating up on myself, because I wasn't as organized, effective, efficient, successful, etc. as other people.  In sum, I always felt like something was wrong with me.  I knew it shouldn't be this hard.  I felt broken.  

It wasn't until I was diagnosed with ADHD and (more importantly) truly understood how it affected me, that things started to make sense.  I remember thinking, "Well, that explains a lot!"

Fast forward to the present...

I have come a long way since then.  The struggles I encountered understanding my own ADHD and raising a child with ADHD lead me to where I am today, and I feel blessed to have the opportunity to help others navigate their own ADHD.  I can't begin to express the joy I feel when I see that light bulb come on in their head, as they begin to understand and appreciate themselves.  

The moral of this story is that sometimes the lowest points in our lives are the moments that lead us to our higher calling.  If I can give just one person hope through sharing my story, it was all worth it.  

"Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit" ~ Napoleon Hill

October is ADHD Awareness Month!

As you may know, October is ADHD Awareness Month, and I am excited to be a part of this year's ADHD Awareness Book Project.  This year's book, Inspirational Ways to Succeed with ADHD, includes tips, strategies, and stories from 40+ contributors (including me!).  Make sure you go to http://inspirationalwaystosucceedwithadhd.com today to order your copy! 

If you purchase Inspirational Ways to Succeed with ADHD today (Oct. 2, 2014), you will receive access to special bonus offers from many of the contributors.  

The ADHD Parent Trap

I used to think I had all the answers.  Since I have ADHD, I thought that all my strategies for overcoming ADHD-related obstacles would work for my daughter too.  WRONG!!!! If there is one thing I've learned, it's that ADHD affects everyone differently.  Perhaps even more importantly, different strategies work for different people.  In short, don't get sucked in to the ADHD parent trap.  Keep in mind that we are all wired differently. So, work with your children to find solutions and strategies that work for their unique brain wiring.