Stress & guilt for caregivers of ADHD children

Modern parenting is harder than ever, with rising demands, guilt, and stress. Focus on grace, routines, and connection to build a strong parent-child bond.

Every parent experiences stress and guilt.
Parenting stress is a result of the demands of parenting feeling like they are too high, and that you don’t have the resources to meet them.
Studies show that parents are significantly more stressed today than they were in previous decades.
Expectations and demands on parents are rising. In fact, a mother working full-time today spends more time with her children than a 1970’s stay at home mother did.
With the increased pressures of parenting, and the idea we should strive to achieve perfection, parents are feeling a combination of guilt and loneliness.
These feelings are often exacerbated in families with kids who have an ADHD diagnosis, because with that diagnosis there can be behavioral challenges or additional struggles.
Parents often feel unable to seek input from others like friends and family because they don’t understand the diagnosis or fear judgment implying that you are somehow doing something wrong.

When you lose it (because we all do, at some point), recognize that you’re only human - give yourself grace to understand, reflect, and learn. Use these moments as a chance to model emotional regulation by reconnecting with your child afterwards and letting them see you recover
Create predictable routines to benefit the whole family
Control the parts you can (who goes where, make lists, manage mealtimes) and let the other things go.
Turn off what isn't helping and find what does.
Focus on building a relationship with your child that lets them feel: SAFE, SEEN, and SECURE.
Of all the things we CAN’T control for our kids, our relationship isn’t one of them. The parent-child attachment relationship is a blueprint for all future relationships.
Research tells us that this relationship is paramount, easier to build than you think, and the most important thing a parent can do. If we did nothing else except to offer our child a strong parent-child relationship, it would be enough.
Studies have shown it is the QUALITY not QUANTITY of time that matters to children.
As parents of ADHD kiddos that might spend a great deal of time being corrected, we want to make sure every day we spend low-pressure time together. No directions. No corrections. Even five minutes of this time helps build a foundation for a more connected relationship.
Be patient and acknowledge that you too are still learning!
You do not need to be a parenting or ADHD expert to be the parent your child needs.