The biggest challenge in having children with ADD is getting their children to behave well and even give a little bit of cooperation. Some parents give up easily yet it may not be an impossible task if you really put your mind to it.

What are the major challenges for parents who have children with ADD?

“He never listens, or at least acts as if he hasn’t heard a word I’ve said!” – Kids with ADD often appear to be “in space” or daydreaming. You can tell your child 15 times to do something and he may appear to be listening, but in reality, he is not. He’s not being rude or disrespectful, as many parents believe. His attention is simply not there or it is on something else.

“She loses everything!” – This is a also a common symptom of ADD when the child tends to be highly disorganized. They also have a knack at loosing their belonging once too often and too soon. You may find that their school bag is in a total mess which is safe to say the very similar to their brain.

“His moods are unpredictable. It’s hard to take him out anywhere!” – This unpredictable mood is due to the desire for ADD brain for organization. If a child with ADD finds that there are no usual routine to follow, they will become irritated and anxious.

“She’s like a little time bomb if I don’t let her go outside and play!” – When hyperactivity is part of your child’s ADD, her brain is much like a boiling pot of water. If the top to the pot isn’t lifted regularly, it will bubble over and make a mess. Your child needs a safety valve for letting off her steam, too!

“He just won’t mind me.” – Most kids, with or without ADD, have a tendency to test the limits. For an ADD child, there’s the extra issue of impulsiveness that makes him act before thinking most of the time, thus making him appear even more disobedient than the other kids.

THE 6 STRATEGIES FOR PARENTING YOUR ADD CHILD
1. The need for structure in the brain will be positive for your child if her daily life is properly scheduled. This way, your child knows what to expect and is expected from him or her. Regular bedtime and mealtime are instances of this. Children with ADD will become more anxious and irritated if he or she does not know what to expect day in day out.

2. Give lots of “recesses.” Whether your child is hyperactive or not, the ADD brain is working hard to handle all of the information that is overwhelming his brain. Make sure he gets lots of breaks throughout his day. This may mean going outside and running off a lot of that excess energy. Or it may mean a quiet activity is needed. Whatever works for your child is the goal because his brain needs the rest.

3. Organizing a child with ADD can result in a positive outlook. Parents can help children become organizing by laying out before the activities they need to do for the day beforehand. This can be done by having a calendar. Not only will they be able to see what is in store for them that day but possibly the rest of the week too. Teach your child to be organized with their belonging such as books, toys and even clothes. They need to be placed a specific place when not in use. Parents can help out if it seems like some days or even a particular part of a day is hectic for the child to handle on their own.

4. Your child has his or her own limits and as a parent you should be able to identify this. Don’t over do when you discipline your child and it is as bad as not disciplining them at all. Always have the interest of your child at heart and don’t compare them with other parent’s ways of disciplining their child.

5. It may be quite an impossible task to control children with ADD what more with their impulsivity or her hyperactivity. Thus, parents are encouraged to learn the correct techniques to keep these things under control when it comes with managing their children. Be patience and persistence and it will definitely pay off.

6. Celebrate his successes. Unfortunately, much is written about the trials and tribulations of kids with ADD. But not everything they do is bad, misguided, or intentional. Catch your child when she does something good and tell her you noticed. Reinforce the learning that she is doing to get her ADD under control. In fact, she will respond better to positive reinforcement than to your yelling and scolding.

Some parents are put off by the fact that more effort are required to manage their ADD children. Parenting is not as easy as it seems and having to deal with ADD children can be a blessing in disguise. Careful planning and organizing can go a long way in your attempt to bring the best out of your ADD children.