ADHDFamilies

It’s not often that I find a post on this subject that I approve of. Generally when asked about chores or household duties and kids with ADHD too many people feel that the child should be allowed a lot of slack in the process… If they have the child doing anything at all.

I call BULLSH*T! And so does the Mean Mom in her blog post titled “Chores for 13-year-old ADHD Son“.

The fact of the matter is, a 13-year-old child with ADHD should be able to handle almost any or all of the same chores a13-year-old child without ADHD can handle. Something a lot of people often seem to forget is that if you want your child to have any ind of success in his or her life, you need to provide structure. Structure lends a sense of calm, which helps ease distractions. Chores can provide this kind of structure. So can homework, school activities and social functions such as church or regular YMCA trips, among other things.

I think my mother knew this instinctively. My routine as a child on a school day was unforgiving. Up, fed, dressed and off to school. When I got home I was allowed 1 hour to “decompress” from the day doing anything I pleased, then it was homework, my bedroom got cleaned, dinner was served and we helped with the dishes and any household chores were done. After that our time was our own until lights out. This schedule was unwavering, and even though I fought against it for a very long time, I finally just accepted that this was the way things were and dropped into routine. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was comforting for me to know exactly what was going to happen next.

I have carried this need for structure into my adult life. Even to this day I cannot allow myself to deviate from routine or I simple “shiny out” and fail to accomplish the things that I know have to be done during the day. As an adult I thank my mother for the discipline she instilled in me as a child, and your children will one day as well.

Take it from me, they will.