by Kayla Myers, Family Peer Supporter
October 17, 2023
As a Mama of two boys and a bonus girl, I wanted to write a letter to them and express myself in a way I haven’t before. Having a late diagnosis of ADHD has truly changed my life for the better. Now that I know more about the ways it affects my day to day, how it impacts those around me, and although I have implemented tools to help with the things that are easy for everyone else but seem foreign to me, I always want to be better, for me, but mostly them.
My loves,
I hope you know that I am so proud of each of you, and I am so thankful for what you add to my life. Although I don’t know if anymore chaos in my brain is healthy, you keep pushing that button to find out. When that button gets pushed, my body and brain can’t keep up as well as I would like. But I hope you know, none of that is your fault. I will continue to communicate my needs, but you must promise to do the same. In return, I promise to live vicariously through your imagination, and I want to thank you for throwing wild ideas at me and keeping the fun alive. At times I’m sure I can seem like a mean mom when I tell you, “No, we can’t have a dance party because it’s time for bed”, trust me, I would rather have a dance party instead of going to bed too.
Did you know that I am envious of the “other” moms who don’t seem to forget things daily, who aren’t 5-10 minutes behind schedule all day, and throw Pinterest birthday parties every year for their kids. While I know I am a different kind of mom, I hope you know, I give it my very best every day. I don’t mean to forget the small details, get overwhelmed more quickly than most, and probably look like a chicken with her head cut off trying to get out the door. I get down on myself too and I don’t want you to ever feel alone in that. But we have to remember, as long as we are giving it our best try, somedays we need to offer ourselves grace and say, “I am proud of myself for trying today and today this was the best I could do.”
Lastly my loves, I want you to know that you can always come to me with the good things that have happened, but more importantly, the bad things that have happened to you or if you made a mistake. Because of this mysterious brain of mine, I am sure I have made those same mistakes many times. I want you to know that no matter what, I will not judge you and I promise to be a safe place for you to fall. You are the lights of my life. So, shine brought in all that you do, I will be here cheering as loudly as I can, so those lights never dim.
Love, Mama/Kayla