Guest Blogs

Swapping ADHD Stress Stories

It helps, so much, to know I’m not the only mother of a child with ADHD that lets the stress of parenting a child with special needs get the best of her.

Jennifer Choi commented on my recent blog post about how, in the course of trying to cope with parenting a child with ADHD, I’ve been ignoring my diabetes. As the mom of two boys with ADHD and other special needs, she’s been there. She knows what can happen when mom ignores her own health.

A trip to the emergency room with a panic attack was her wake-up call to taking better care of herself. She now takes medication to treat her anxiety, as well as working on a variety of lifestyle changes and coping skills.

After Jenn commented on my blog, I paid a visit to hers. I intended to just take a quick peek, but ended up staying to read every post, then going back to it this morning (bleary-eyed, because Natalie was awake from 3:30-6:00 am) hungry for updates on Jenn and her two beautiful kids. This is a woman I could talk to, I thought. This is a woman I could be friends with. (Isn’t the Internet great?)

I feel really stupid about my frequent mini-breakdowns-my crying jags; the times I can’t cope with mothering a child with special needs and all the baggage that comes with it. But it helps — so much — to know I’m not the only mom that stress sometimes gets the best of!

If this topic hits a nerve with you, give Jenn’s blog a read.