I have a friend whose 19 year old daughter will be gone all summer – working far from home to earn money for college.
My friend was apprehensive about letting her go so far away, and she still worries about her. But she also recognized the importance of letting her have new experiences, making her own decisions and maybe making a few mistakes as well.
It’s how we learn; how we grow.
When you are the parent of an ADHD child, you already know (and so do they) about making mistakes (although you’re not sure they really learn from them).
It’s easy to try and protect them as much as you can. You may feel as though they get picked on or singled out because of the way their ADHD manifests itself.
But you have to let them take their own steps now and then. Make decisions and face the consequences – within reason, of course.
You also have to remember that until they are in their mid to late twenties, they may be as much as 3-5 years behind their real age emotionally. That means you can have a 16 year old who may think with the maturity of a 12 year old at times.
It’s a fine line, but you need to learn to walk it. And then you need to teach them to do the same.
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