I was formally diagnosed when I was 8. My mom says she knew beforehand, but she was in denial I guess. I remember thinking I was broken. Defective. I couldn’t sit still for more than a minute, couldn’t keep my thoughts straight, and I was constantly bouncing. Meds helped, but only a bit. I got sick of the side effects so I stopped taking them when I was 14.
When I had my son, I hoped beyond hope that he didn’t have to struggle like I still was. He was diagnosed halfway through kindergarten, because he was disruptive in class. He was like me, only more intense. We tried everything we could think of before meds, because I remembered how I felt.
Being a mom with ADHD is hard. Being a mom with ADHD to a kid with ADHD feels impossible sometimes. The worst feeling is when people who don’t understand tell me that it’s all in my head and ADHD isn’t real, and that my son is just being a normal little boy. I know normal, and I know my son. He’s normal, just a little extra. ADHD IS NORMAL!
Jess M