I am so glad there is a forum to address these issues. I really related to Angie’s story.
I am a 39 year old, wife and mother of 2. A 10 year old and 8 year old.
I became aware of my “condition” about 3 years ago, when ironically I was looking into , why my son who at the time was 6 had initially started out in school very well academically but , increasingly he was getting in trouble for falling out of his seat, blurting out answers, etc. I didn’t understand how someone who was so smart couldn’t control himself.
As you know , they say this is hereditary , so as I started some self introspection, I became increasingly more aware of how I have always had a problem with several of the areas that are associated with ADD. Organization, timeliness, attention span, etc.
I read a book on Women with Adult ADD , and I was also brought to tears, to finally have a name associated with my frustration of trying to function. I started college but was academically suspended because I never did homework that was 12 years ago, I have completed 166 of 186 unit to finish and have yet to go back…
I have always been told that I was intelligent, witty, highly achieving but … always the but.. lazy, not motivated, unorganized etc.. and I thought I was,,, I still think I am..
My husband doesn’t believe me or just hasn’t been given enough information, and when I try to tell him about my difficulty with balancing the check book, keeping the house , clean, remembering to go shopping for toilet paper, getting the kids school supplies, picking up the dry cleaning,, on and on he thinks that the “condition” is just an excuse to get away with messing up.
I am starting to think my daughter has this also , because she is very, very smart but she is in trouble all of the time for blurting out the answer and getting out of her seat.. I am sorry to go on and on.. but I am very frustrated.. I do not take my Adderall because there is still a part of me that says , I should be able to get things done on my own.. I hope through more awareness and education on the subject I will find my way back to sanity.