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Nothing can make a parent feel more powerless than an ADHD child in meltdown mode. The tears, the irrationality, the flailing limbs? No, I’m not talking about the parent, but the child.
When a child breaks down in public, parents feel like failures — we should be able to control our child, right? We see the judgment in other parents’ eyes, and we resent the “helpful” suggestions from the passerby who means well but who doesn’t know a whit about ADHD.
Keep your head and your perspective. Often kids with ADHD are impulsive and can’t regulate their behavior. Meltdowns say nothing about your parenting ability, but they do reflect the nature of ADHD.
So what to do when your child has a tantrum in a department store or at the kitchen table? Arm yourself with quick fixes. I offer my seven favorites.
Fix #1: Agree on a Plan
A version of this article appears in the Summer 2009 issue of ADDitude.
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