Things my ADHD child did before school this morning

[Asparagusandpotatoes]

Selotaped the top of a cup of water to try to make it watertight, drew a face on it and called it Barry
Sellotaped across the bathroom door
Packed and repacked their lunch several times. This involved getting all the Tupperware out and all the bags.
Ran off down the street in their socks
Started trying to fix their bike*

I’m sure there was more but my brain is fried. Tell me yours!

*for all that, we were actually late because I lost my car keys. Guess it runs in the family 🫠

I have a dd who at 28 is not much different. Have to say though, love a cup called Barry!

Please tell me your war stories! This kid is wild and magical but I really do struggle with the chaos sometimes

Can we see Barry?

We are late every day - doesn’t matter what time i get DC up, we will still be late. DC does anything but get dressed and eat breakfast… and sings/ talks the entire time… They are happy, I feel like I’ve run a marathon by the time we get to school. I’ve tried timers, tick sheets, rewards all to no avail! It’s exhausting!

This helps thank you! I spoon fed them breakfast today while they played with a dressing gown and talked at length about the advantages of keeping a mongoose if you live in India.

not diagnosed ADHD but queried, won’t get any diagnosis before she’s 6/7 years old here.

this morning she ‘lost her school clothes I handed to her’ and had a meltdown, which were directly behind her on the sofa. She just needed to turn around.

she ‘needed’ to put 18 different colour bow clips in her hair otherwise she would look scruffy.

the bow clips weren’t going in right so she scrapped that idea and instead used 6 bow clips and a cat ear headband.

She took apart my Lego flowers and attempted to reassemble them before giving up 3 pieces in.

then when it was time to get in the car to go to school she stood focusing on our front garden for 10 minutes and while being asked to get in a belt up.. just as she got in the car, she got back out because she saw a yellow flower in the garden, then got back in the car and took 5 minutes to do her belt but she didn’t want help because she can do it herself.

Brill 😆 love them but my God it's exhausting!

I have thought of trying to document a short period of time like this before because if you didn't live it you wouldn't believe it sometimes.

Yeah you have to be in it to understand. This kid got the zoomies just before bath time, did 3 laps of the kitchen and then smacked the button on the fire alarm (fire alarm was on the window sill and they’d never noticed it before). I had a guest over who just couldn’t believe the speed and unpredictability. I think a documentary just about getting out to school would be amazing.

2 of mine have adhd, older one medicated, younger one also autistic. He's 16 so just finished his GCSE and woke me up at 4.30 to tell me he hopes I enjoy my lie in (i have to get him up.) At 8am i heard him in the kitchen, saying oh fuck oh fuck, went down and he'd tried to put the dishwasher on and some how flooded the kitchen as he put washing up liquid in machine not tablet. He's then used my clean towel to wipe it up, pla e full of bubbles now. He's also managed to break the shower screen hinges (it's fixable). Hes now using my shower and probably every product in their as he's going to meet his mates in a bit. Once he gets back into a routine he'll settle again.

My ADHD (12 year 7) is woken at 7.15. Usually already awake. I tell him every 5 mins to get ready. I present his uniform, his bag, bus fare. Remind him 2/3 times to brush teeth (still didn't do it). I have been screaming at him before to hurry up only to hear him playing his piano 2 seconds later.

Youngest with FASD was a dream this morning but last night going to Brownies... Goes upstairs to get changed comes down still in school uniform.
Goes upstairs looking for top. Comes back down with it behind her back saying she can't find it. "No problem, you don't have to go". Kicks off because she does want to go. Goes and gets changed. Insists she needs shorts but cannot find them. Meltdown because leggings are too hot.
Finally dressed and comes into the hall to leave with a bag for life full of Monster High dolls. Really?? We negotiate down to 1 and are only 2/3 minutes late!

Advantages of keeping a mongoose - this made me chuckle 🤭 Although I’m sure totally not amusing when you are trying to get them to school on time!

We have struggled with getting ready for school for years. DS, 14, Adhd and asd is in rehabilitation (leg problem) at the moment, and he is finally independent in the mornings, after years of me guiding him step-by-step. It took a bit of bribery, but he sets his alarms, gets up without me there, has breakfast independently, asks the nurses for his medication and gets to school by himself. It is all in one building, but I have hope for when we go home. I could cry, I feel so relieved.

I spent a morning following my ADHD DC around before school, noting down everything they did. It was an unbelievably long (and random) list: seeing it has helped them improve their focus (a tiny bit), but it has also made them a lot more good humoured when we point out their drifting attention. "Is it time to dress up the cat when we're on a tight schedule? Oh no, it's time to put on every pair of your socks at once. Great."

I’m reading this thread at 11.22am having nagged my adult dd with GDD and we suspect inattentive ADD into the shower. For once she doesn’t have anywhere she needs to be today. Was looking forward to a lie-in but up
at 7.30am. Where have the last 4 hours gone???

Every pair of socks 😂😂😂😂
This is good, I love the humour and kindness. Sometimes shouting does work but only because it triggers a cortisol dump that ups the urgency for that particular task I guess. Neither of us like it and I know it’s harmful long term so I mostly don’t. In any case this kid will have to live with their self for ever and they certainly don’t need an inner voice (mine) telling them off as well. I made it to functional adulthood so there must be a way!

DS has a friend over this afternoon (we are on school holidays) and we had an appointment this morning. On the way home he informed me "Mummy if you smell here you can smell the smell of the tram!" Uhh thanks for that information

Then as we were walking home through the sweltering sun he paused suddenly under a bridge "I just need to measure how tall I am!" me: looking around for some kind of scale he is measuring against. "I'm as tall as halfway up your flower!!" (On my t-shirt. We do not use flower as a euphemism for vulva!) SO random. They just get an idea and it must be acted upon immediately, regardless of the context of what is going on around them.

We have about an hour until the friend is due so unless he successfully lobbies DH for screen time I will report back on what he gets up to in the meantime currently he is eating some lunch after informing me how much he loves see-through straws because he can see the drink coming through it.

DS was jumping around so much one morning before school that he head butted me so hard I saw stars.

Another time a friends husband called round for some reason as I was trying to get them all out the door for school. After we’d discussed the reason for his visit he looked at the chaos and asked “do you want some help yo school”. I very gratefully accepted and had an extra pair of hands walking them to school.

then there was the one I took my two boys and my baby to the beach and the boys both ran off in opposite directions leaving me wondering a ) which one to run after and 2) wtf do I do with the baby!

reader; they all made it to adulthood (although how I survived the journey I’ll never know)

I gave meds at 7am. Before that she was wrestling with the dog who then had to wear a medal. Arrgued with her sister. Shes 10 btw. Then her meds kicked in and she just got ready

I remember those type of days so very well as if they were yesterday. My DS who has ADHD is now in his 30's and there is light at the end of the tunnel. Teens was by far the hardest years though by 18 he was much calmer.

OMG you people should write a book.

I have absolutely no experience of this but I'm exhausted just reading about it.

You all deserve a medal.

I'm going to have to google the advantages of Indians owning a mongoose.