‘My ex-husband doesn’t want to believe that our son has ADHD’

He says the lack of discipline is the problem. And that ADHD is only an excuse to justify his behavior. ‘

‘Lazy parent’

Rica’s ex-partner does not believe that ADHD is a chronic condition, but blames her as a ‘lazy parent’ for all the tensions and stress at home. And that has taken a huge blow to Rica. “I noticed from kindergarten that our son was different,” she writes. “While other kids were coloring the letters of the alphabet, he knocked over the bookcase and ran out of the classroom.” Rica had to meet up with the teacher regularly, but although she didn’t blame her for a second, all she could do was think, “What a terrible mother I am.”

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Stress

When her son started calling himself “the bad kid” of the family, her confidence took another blow. ‘Working full-time and the stress of the divorce often became too much for me. Our mornings were more like a heavy metal concert than a relaxed start to the day. There was shouting, I smelled sweat and heard a peep in my ears. I felt guilty nonstop. Guilty that I had no answers and guilty that I was constantly frustrated. ” The fact that her ex-partner did not assist her in this did not help anything either.

Therapy

Despite her ex still not believing their son has ADHD, after years of therapy, exercise and medication, Rica has finally got things going. ‘ADHD is an invisible condition that is difficult for the world to see. The brain is an organ, not a broken bone. And it is difficult to walk around with a cast on your head. I still doubt whether I did it all right as a mother, but I do know that I am not responsible for my son’s behavior. ‘

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