Yesterday I found a several of my kitchen dish towels in my Darling Son's dresser drawer in his room, and it occurred to me that it's probably time to reorganize his messy room. Long pants now come up to his knees, long sleeves are just below his elbows. The idea of having him make a 'give-away pile' (I know from experience), will not be happening here... He could care less.... and... I'll get to that next week .. LOL ... but it does reflect on a key part of raising ADHD kids....
As Mom's the-world-over know, kids with ADHD are not what anyone would call 'tuned-in' when it comes to 'organization' ... like a bad signal on a TV-- I honestly don't think they even 'see' the path of destruction that is before them (or behind them) - mess is their comfort, a way of life - .... discovering dish towels mixed with t-shirts is not even a concern.
Because both of my children have the 'gift' of ADHD....oldest child, Darling Daughter, has always been the leader when it comes to...'disorganization and mess' -- her hallmark trait from the time she could walk.
Ready, Set...GO !
As a toddler I attempted to contain the mess with a 'gated community' idea by putting a 'gate' on her bedroom door to minimize the damage to the rest of the house. Even then, she would figure out how to escape. Like Houdini she would find clever ways to break out from under a fishing net I had secured with bungie cords over the top of her crib - the 'gate' would then be next... her mission of mass destruction always began at the crack of dawn. When not manically jumping on the bed she was climbing (or is it called 'exploring'?) to get into things -- nothing was off limits... toys everywhere - not possible to 'baby-proof' this curiosity.... messes continued ….
Once an elementary teacher told me that her desk and the area around her desk was like a 'hampster cage' ... I couldn't resist saying...'you should see her room'. Now as a teenager, it is still astonishing ... homework buried in wet towels, cosmetics ground into the carpet, large empty tubes of hair gel on display and hair ' spray ' on the walls. She loves it like that -- Darling Daughter has even declared to me how she can't find anything when the room is organized.... really?
So the 'dance' begins ... it will all be perfectly cleaned and organized, I might add, when she wants her 'texting' back... that's my 'channel' .... well, at least something works :)
Ready, Set...GO ! As a toddler I attempted to contain the mess with a 'gated community' idea by putting a 'gate' on her bedroom door to minimize the damage to the rest of the house. Even then, she would figure out how to escape. Like Houdini she would find clever ways to break out from under a fishing net I had secured with bungie cords over the top of her crib - the 'gate' would then be next... her mission of mass destruction always began at the crack of dawn. When not manically jumping on the bed she was climbing (or is it called 'exploring'?) to get into things -- nothing was off limits... toys everywhere - not possible to 'baby-proof' this curiosity.... messes continued ….
Once an elementary teacher told me that her desk and the area around her desk was like a 'hampster cage' ... I couldn't resist saying...'you should see her room'. Now as a teenager, it is still astonishing ... homework buried in wet towels, cosmetics ground into the carpet, large empty tubes of hair gel on display and hair ' spray ' on the walls. She loves it like that -- Darling Daughter has even declared to me how she can't find anything when the room is organized.... really?
So the 'dance' begins ... it will all be perfectly cleaned and organized, I might add, when she wants her 'texting' back... that's my 'channel' .... well, at least something works :)
xo
The International Laundress
