Overcoming Challenges with ADHD

Its been a challenging day. Nothing out of the ordinary though. The usual tussle in getting my son to brush his teeth, sitting on his throne, having breakfast, doing his homework, eating lunch and dinner. In between, the temper tantrums, kicking his baby brother, experimenting on his baby brother i.e putting little things into his mouth, placing his cup of milk on the floor and giving it a kick, kicking anyone he sees and shouting.

Although there was nothing out of the ordinary here, I felt a little different this time. The challenge of handling him became tougher after knowing he has ADHD. While the discipline is consistent, I had to constantly remind myself that whatever he did was unintentional and he had no idea why he was doing it.

So do I punish him or do I just talk to him? Do I ignore him? I did all of it, as I believe my son is very intelligent and he has no problem understanding clear instructions. He simply chooses to ignore them. Depending on the severity of the issue at hand, I will either punish him or simply talk to him. Others that are not too urgent, i ignore them for the sake of both us.

I believe when a child is constantly given clear directions and is reminded why its important to behave and follow certain rules, it will eventually sink deep inside their subconscious mind. With strong foundations and values, even the most difficult child will be able to remember the guidance drummed into them during their childhood days.

Of course the key is to be consistent.