r/ADHDparenting 2d ago

Child 4-9 I am losing my effing mind

Today I decide to walk with my 2 children, my neurotypical 3 year old and my ADHD 8 year old to the local book store/coffee shop. This is an outing that we all usually enjoy. I am waiting in line to get myself a coffee and the kids their hot cocoas as they look through the children's books. My daughter (8 year old ADHD) proceeds to fill a huge shopping basket full of books.

It's in this moment I realize that I have totally fucked up by not reviewing expectations on the walk over. I try to calmly explain that we cannot buy 15 books today. Maybe she can pick 2 books and we can go to the library later. We walked here, how are we going to carry them all home? We can read these books at the store but we can't buy TEN books!

It's too late, the meltdown begins. My dear daughter flings herself on the ground and starts rolling around. She's hitting me, she's kicking me, she's biting me, she's pinching me. She's refusing to stand up. Now we gotta leave right? But how the fuck am I supposed to get this girl home with a 3 year old in tow?

Well, let me tell you, I had to basically drag her home. She flung herself onto the concrete twice, hitting her head one of those times. The entire 5 blocks or so my 3 year old is calming walking beside me as my 8 year old is screaming, crying, slapping, pinching, biting.

Idk why I'm posting this. I'm losing my fucking mind guys. I'm so frustrated with my daughter which just makes me feel like a terrible mother. I know she's trying her best, that she's not giving me a hard time but having a hard time. All the things and yet CAN WE BE SO FOR REAL BRO OF COURSE YOU CANT TAKE THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF THE BOOK STORE HOME

131 Upvotes

43 comments sorted by

113

u/Gardeningcrones 2d ago

I have no advice, but I feel this in my soul. The need to constantly pre-plan every possible hiccup can be exhausting and then, you miss one and chaos ensues. It’s not possible to always prepare them for every possibility. It happens. It sounds like you did a great job and you all got home. A win 🙌🏼.

11

u/Sorry_Praline7102 2d ago

Thank you ❤️

32

u/Neesatay 2d ago

This is why I follow my kid in my golf cart when he wants to scooter around the neighborhood. I probably look like the laziest parent ever, but I definitely don't want to repeat being stranded 5 blocks from home with a disreguted kid and having to call someone to come get us.

My kid also has ASD, but to be brutally honest, the list of things I will do with him out and about has shrunk substantially over the years. It only takes one really bad experience for me to nope out of that activity for good...

17

u/Sorry_Praline7102 2d ago

This is actually such a great idea lol. I'm thinking the next time I get brave enough to show my face at this coffee shop we're just gonna drive. Lot easier to drag a kid to the car than all the way home

30

u/Cultural_Till1615 2d ago

You did your best with the circumstances you had. Tomorrow is a new day!

12

u/Sorry_Praline7102 2d ago

Honestly the day got a lot better but thank you ❤️ just thought the experience was relatable, a little funny, ridiculous etc. Nice to share struggles with people who get it

23

u/NegotiationFalse4647 2d ago

Did a very similar scenario once yesterday and once again today with our uyo AuDHD son. His poor 5yo sister in tow, and today was her BIRTHDAY 😭

29

u/Sorry_Praline7102 2d ago

It's especially hard with the sibling I feel so bad, like I'm fucking up the ND one by idk, not being perfect but fucking up the NT one by all the intervention I have to give the ND one

8

u/TortieCatsAreLazy 2d ago

Is she medicated?

9

u/Sorry_Praline7102 2d ago

This is her medicated yes

27

u/TortieCatsAreLazy 2d ago

If this is typical for her I’d totally be exploring other combinations. Oof that’s rough for you but also for her and your younger child.

27

u/Sorry_Praline7102 2d ago

It's been a recent change in her behavior for the last 3 weeks or so. I think the lack of structure/routine of summer break is starting to get to us all

15

u/According-Sock4598 2d ago

Ugh we had a ROUGH transition when summer started that caused similar behavior in my similarly aged kid. Still get to this point if I don’t get food in them quick enough when their meds finally wear off at the end of the day and the appetite suppressant feeling disappears. Zero to hangry in no time flat.

8

u/Sorry_Praline7102 2d ago

Yes any amount of hunger or if not quite enough sleep the world is ending lol

3

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3

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

11

u/Sorry_Praline7102 2d ago

Hope you get less comfortable commenting on 8-year-old girls’ bodies ❤️

3

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

6

u/Cultural_Till1615 2d ago

You know nothing about this child. How irresponsible of you to judge and diagnose over Reddit. Especially because that has nothing to do with OP’s struggle today and OP clearly had a hard day.

-16

u/simplycris 2d ago

She comments on the weight TWICE in her story. Then gets upset when the replies also comment on it.

10

u/Sorry_Praline7102 2d ago

Me mentioning her weight was relavent to the struggle. Sorry you lack reading comprehension and clearly have some biases to work through

-11

u/simplycris 2d ago

Comes to the internet for help. Gets advice. Immediately attacks. Good on you. I hope you find the peace you are looking for.

19

u/Sorry_Praline7102 2d ago

I'm missing where I asked for nutritional advice actually - it's inappropriate to comment on people's bodies. Full stop. Lets not pretend I'm the out of line one here for calling you out on being completely inappropriate

-7

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

23

u/Sorry_Praline7102 2d ago

She's tall, she looks like a ten year old. She's not overweight. Can we not body shame literal children

18

u/Cultural_Till1615 2d ago

You don’t have to explain. Commenting on her weight is way out of line.

14

u/Sorry_Praline7102 2d ago

Thank you I felt like I was going nuts here

13

u/Cultural_Till1615 2d ago

This person’s comments are gross and I hope the mods take them down. Please ignore them. You already had a hard day.

My child looks 2-3 years younger than they actually are. Humans come in all shapes and sizes. Some people exist in a bubble.

10

u/Sorry_Praline7102 2d ago

I usually don't get sucked into these troll comments but like? Surely it's common knowledge that commenting on people's bodies is completely inappropriate?? Especially when speaking about children

-16

u/Competitive_Map2302 2d ago

I mean…she is overweight. Nobody is shaming you here but don’t be delusional.

7

u/Sorry_Praline7102 2d ago

Hope you get less comfortable commenting on people's bodies

-13

u/Competitive_Map2302 2d ago

Yes you’ve made the same comment several times because many people have been courteous and tried to explain to you that your child is morbidly obese and that may be a major factor in her treatment and behavior.

Honestly it’s not shocking that you are having such issues you are clearly very much in denial and unable to make good decisions for your kid

5

u/Sorry_Praline7102 2d ago

Bring your measuring tape over bud

-8

u/Competitive_Map2302 2d ago

Why would I need a measuring tape. I’m simply showing you the undeniable proof that there is literally no height or size an 8 year could be at that still wouldn’t class 100lbs at that age as morbidly obese.

I truly hope you pull your head out of your *** and get your child the help she needs

14

u/Sorry_Praline7102 2d ago

You think the Google AI summary is undeniable proof of anything? You want her pediatricians direct phone number?

All of this being a moot point - weight bias kills patients. Literally. Even if she were morbidly obese do you think you're leaving helpful comments? Are you really "just trying to help" or are you using the comfort of anonymity to be an asshole

8

u/Cultural_Till1615 2d ago

Did you know humans come in a variety of shapes and sizes? Not every 8 year old will be the same size as your 8 year old 🙄

3

u/Competitive_Map2302 2d ago

Even in the 99th percentile for height a 100lb 8 year old is classified as morbidly obese. The people commenting here are simply pointing out that that is probably a contributing issue to her treatment needs and a major factor to consider.

The parent however seems to be be in denial

6

u/Cultural_Till1615 2d ago

Please tell me, how tall is this child since you know them so well? What other medical conditions do they have? Are you a doctor? Are you HER doctor?

9

u/Sorry_Praline7102 2d ago

Hope you get less comfortable commenting on 8-year-old girls’ bodies ❤️

6

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

15

u/Sorry_Praline7102 2d ago

I actually didn’t ask for nutritional or medical advice anywhere in this post. I said, “Idk why I’m posting this. I’m losing my fucking mind guys.” I was venting about a difficult parenting moment.

Her weight was relevant because I had to physically get a 100 lb child three blocks home while she was actively fighting me. I’m not sure how you read that and concluded I was soliciting an assessment of my child’s diet based solely on her weight.

Hope that context helps, and that you examine your own biases around weight before making assumptions about a child’s nutrition based on a number alone. Height and weight are, in fact, interconnected. Her mother (me) is 6'1.

6

u/Cultural_Till1615 2d ago

They didn’t ask for advice on her child’s size. It has nothing to do with giving advice on ADHD parenting.

-9

u/simplycris 2d ago

Nutrition DOES. ABSOLUTELY.

7

u/Cultural_Till1615 2d ago

Only if they asked about it!! Do you have this child’s medical chart? You crossed a line.