Family and ADHD

• Didn’t want to do what my parents wanted me to do
• Parents keeping me on track
• My dad told me medicine would help me
• Fighting with my sisters
• When parents just don’t understand
• My sister has focus problems

Didn’t want to do what my parents wanted me to do

I was resistant to being on medication more out of resistance to doing what my parents wanted me to do.  I felt as though I wanted to do what I wanted and if they wanted me to be on medication then I didn’t want to.  My mom made sure I took it every day; I didn’t have much choice.  Looking back, it did help.

–Amy, 23

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Parents keeping me on track

If it’s like really late and I’m working on a huge project my parents will help me and keep me on track.  My mom keeps track of my deadlines, like college stuff, so that helps a lot.

-Julie, 18

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My dad told me medicine would help me

My dad was probably the biggest encouragement for me to take medicine.  He basically said it would help me, but I originally I wouldn’t do it— I was so headstrong that I didn’t really think it would work.  My dad showed me statistics and stuff, but I still didn’t want to take it.  My dad said that was fine— I could wait until I was ready.  And eventually I said I would try the medicine.

–James, 18

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Fighting with my sisters

My mom says my sisters noticed a lot when I started taking my medicine because I didn’t fight with them as much.

-Miles, 7

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When parents just don’t understand

I never thought about how my dad might view it before, but a couple of weeks ago I had to write an essay and my medicine had obviously worn off and I couldn’t find the Ritalin I take in the afternoon.  I had no idea where it was so I couldn’t take it.  So I had no medicine and I had to write an essay and he was like, “Just write it.  Just sit down and write it in an hour.”  I was like “Well, Dad, I can’t write an essay in an hour, even with my medicine.  I can’t write an essay in an hour no matter what.”  He was like, “Well write it in an hour and a half.”  I was like, “Dad, I can’t.”  He just doesn’t want to understand.  He thinks that ADHD is something that because I have medicine I can work past it.  Because I can work past most things he thinks I can work past everything, but I can’t.  Sometimes I just wish he would get that. 

-Stephanie, 16

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My sister has focus problems

My sister had focus problems like me, but she never took medicine.  She was allowed extended time for papers and stuff like that.  I take medication but I don’t have any extended time or anything.  I just do what everyone else does.

-Julie, 18

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