Add Parents and ADHD Children

[Bonnie Irving]

Does Anyone have ADD( By that i mean Predominately Inattentive) that Has a Child that has ADHD Hyperactive/ or combined Who's Behavior Drives you ABSOLUTELY NUTS!? My Younger stepson I am Almost positive has Hyperactive adhd does all these little things to occupy himself, he cannot sit on the couch, without moving SOME part of his body! he has to be throwing something, tossing something, or tapping something. AH! It drives me Nuts! anyway.... id appreciate feedback...

[DANA]

No, I am not the predominately inattentive. I am the hyperactive type that has always LOVED this extra energy!
My 13 year old was recently diagnosed with the predominately inattentive type of ADD, whereas her 10 year old sister & 17 year old brother were diagnosed with hyperactive ADHD. As an adult, I have a bit more self-control and I am able to sit still as long as it is not a lengthy amount of time. I do not tap or make noises, but I might cross my legs, uncross my legs and more subtle movements that are less irritating to others around me.

My son drove me absolutely nutty when he was a little boy because he was on the move 24/7! My son was so wild and he was bouncing off the walls! As a teenager, he now uses his extra energy in more productive ways, such as playing the guitar, keyboard or drums. However, there are times where the loud music and be bopping (is that even a word?) can get on my nerves! I have to pace myself, provide him opportunities to enjoy playing his music and set some time limits when I have had enough!

[Bonnie Irving]

Hey Dana!

I was meaning I am Predominantly Inattentive, and he is Hyperactive! VERY hyperactive! I just read your post and i saw that. LOL

[NerdyMommy]

I'm diagnosed as combined type - and I'm a fidgeter! I always have been. Sitting still is sooo hard! I tend not to make noisy fidgets though - because I can't stand repetitive noises, even if I'm the one causing them! Mostly I will cross and uncross my legs, bounce my foot (if my legs are crossed) and I'm a big "hand" fidgeter. I have a ring that I constantly pull on and off my finger.... I just ordered a spinner ring to use that instead of fiddling with my other one - I used to have one, and it's a relatively discreet way to fidget, you just spin the ring.

My hyperactive daughter is a chewer... I keep her with a constant supply of gum... otherwise, I'm finding chewed straws, bit of paper, you name it!

I think the key to maintaining your sanity (and his) is not to try to force him not to fidget, but to try to find things that he can do that are less annoying to you (like my spinner ring, for example). See what kind of "quiet" fidgets you and he can come up with. You still may find the motion itself annoying - but that's probably something you'll need to learn to tune out.

[Bonnie Irving]

If i am In The living room and he is also in the Living room fidgeting, its VERY distracting to me!! I cant focus on what i want to do because all i see is him wiggling, squirming,and bouncing all over the place! Repetitive Noises drive me absolutely INSANE!( finger nails on the chalkboard Insane) UGH! My older step son taps on everything... I tell him,, thats not my drum set.... he also will make weird repetitive sounds.. and his brother does it also.. hes doing it in the Kitchen right now! LOL

[NerdyMommy]

Bonnie, have either of them been evaluated for Tourette's? My stepson used to clear his throat incessantly, and had other little repetitive noises that he would make - it turned out that he had Tourettte's in addition to ADHD. I know what you mean... used to drive me nuts... and before I understood it, I was constantly asking him if he needed cold medicine or cough syrup! Hahaha, he must have loved that! He did outgrow it though - he's 20 now, and I don't ever hear his tics anymore...

[Heather]

That would be me. I am Inattentive type while my son, who is constantly bouncing off the walls, pacing around, fidgeting, can't sit still at the dinner table, runs circles around the house (inside), is ADmegaHD. Yes, it is distracting. It drives me totally and completely insane. Thanks to medication and structure he is beginning to do much better at school but home is a different story. There is little structure here and as important as I know structure and organization is for my children I have yet to be able to pull that together. It just doesn't happen.
Then there's my daughter who was recently diagnosed ADD inattentive type but I really think she's combined. She isn't hyper active like her brother but she is such a wiggler a very distracted.

[stacy holland]

Yes I am 41 and just diagnosed a week ago. I am predominately inattentive. And I have 3 sons with ADHD all very hyper. I know exactly how you feel. My kids drive me up the wall always moving, singing, drumming,makin noises you name it. It is very hard to deal with. And if you find any answers let me know. Because i really dont have any sorry

[Stephanie Rediske]

Oh wow...yes, I am a 29 yr old mother of 4 (2 of my own & 2 step-children) and I think I can trump ya..I have ADHD as does my husband AND my 6 yr old daughter! Our kids' ages are 4,6,6, & 10!! That's right, TWO 6 yr olds, one with ADHD and my step-son HAD EBD (Emotional Behavioral Disorder) but has since had that "label" dropped (YEAH!) but he does still have Seech & Occupational Therapy at school. Then there is my 4 yr old step-daughter who is quite certain she is 14 instead of just 4! My 10 yr old, she's no Saint, she has her typical kid things that make me want to scream at times but for the most part, she's my Savior! LOL So...needless to say my tiny house can feel like a 3-ring circus at times. And I honestly, truly would not trade it for the world!! I ADORE all of my children, that is certainly not the issue. Problem is, one of my strongest ADHD issues is auditory distraction!! I have ears like a HAWK! (just ask my husband! lol) So I hear everything!! Where the ADHD kicks in is I have yet to learn how to filter out the noises that are irrelevant & focus on the ones that matter! ALL I hear is NOISE NOISE NOISE!!!!! The t.v., the kids, the dog's nails on the hardwood, the cat in the basement playing with a toy, the car that just passed my house, the faucet that just got turned on in the bathroom.....you get it! And it's all just too much for me and I feel like I am constantly barking at the kids (or avoiding them...my bedroom is downstairs) & every day I wish I could just walk around with ear plugs in. Not ones that make me not hear ANYTHING, just ones that make it all SSSSSHHHHHHHHHH!! ;-o And if it isn't the noise that has me on edge it's my poor baby, Allison, my 6 yr old, who through no fault of her own, finds it IMPOSSIBLE to sit still...EVER! She's all over the map, I swear to you! Even when she just comes in to ask a questions she's all over the damn room and there is NO way that I can even hear what she is saying to me because I can't focus on anything other than her movement!! And every time I say, "Alli, enough, stand still" she always says "I can't help it" and THAT, dear readers, is where my heart breaks because I KNOW she means it! I KNOW she doesn't know how to help it! And so I stop, I hug her, & I tell her, "I know kidd-o, I get it!" What else can I say?! I think my son said it best, about 1 1/2 yrs ago. When I was asking him why he had done...something (I wish I remember what it was but...hey) he was sobbing (out of remorse, for sure! My son LIVES to please so I KNOW he felt bad for...whatever it was he did) and through his tears he says to me "I'm sorry Mommy, I couldn't help it! My mind was out of control!" He was only 4 at that time! The brutal honesty of children! ;-)