To the Mom Scared of Getting Her Child an ADHD Diagnosis

Maybe you’ve been suspecting there was something a bit different about your child for a while now. When they were younger, perhaps you noticed that they couldn’t focus for longer than a couple of minutes on an arts and crafts project. You chalked it up to them “just being a kid.” After all, don’t all kids have short attention spans?

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As your child got older though, their attention span didn’t improve. Or perhaps you noticed that your child kept getting out of their seat at a birthday party. You chalked that up to them just being overstimulated and excited about the birthday party. But once your child entered elementary school, the emails started coming from teachers about your child not being able to sit still and focus in class. That’s when you knew you couldn’t avoid it anymore.

When contemplating taking your child to a professional to get an ADHD diagnosis, it can bring on so many different feelings and emotions, with scared probably being the biggest one. Many parents fear getting a diagnosis, because then it becomes real and they have to face reality. They now have to face the fact that their child is different than their peers and may struggle more than others their entire lives. That is a lot for a mother to take in.

Mothers also may feel helpless because they don’t know much about ADHD and how to help their child. Ever since their child was born, they have been there to love, nourish and take care of them. When a child receives a new ADHD diagnosis though, mothers may all of a sudden feel ill-equipped – even unqualified – to be their mother. All of a sudden, there is so much to research and learn about their child and how to help them. It can be tremendously overwhelming.

To the moms scared of getting her child an ADHD diagnosis, don’t be. As a mother of a child with ADHD myself, I am here to tell you that everything is going to be OK and honestly, the sooner your child gets a diagnosis, the better it will likely be not only for them, but for your entire family. All of that stuff you just read about feeling scared and helpless is true, of course, but the good news is those feelings will probably pass – very quickly I might add. Excuse the language, but us mothers are notorious for getting shit done and when it comes to our babies, we have this amazing ability to go full Mamma Bear Mode and do everything in our power to protect them.

You are their mother, their amazing and loving mom that would go to the moon and back for them. You always have been and you always will be. And while an ADHD diagnosis does bring a certain amount of added stress to your family’s life, it can also bring great relief and hope. With an official diagnosis, you finally have an explanation (not an excuse) for your child’s behavior. With a diagnosis, you can finally get your child the kind of help, tools, therapy, medication etc. they need. Accepting your child for who they are, loving them and guiding them as they make their way through this world is the best gift you could ever give them. And watching them succeed because of your help and guidance is the best gift you could ever give yourself.