In my early 20s, a counselor once suggested that my various life challenges could be attributed to Attention Deficit Disorder, or ADD. This was a shock to me; I had never considered myself someone who struggled with maintaining focus on anything.
“I genuinely believe you have ADD. This could explain your difficulties with everyday tasks,” she stated. After handing me a questionnaire, she added, “If you score high enough, your physician can prescribe Adderall.” It felt as if she was equating my adult struggles with those of a hyperactive child.
At home, I took the questionnaire seriously—until I stumbled upon a particularly amusing question: “Do you find it hard to focus on things that bore you?” Isn’t that the very definition of boring? If a task were engaging, I wouldn’t have trouble concentrating on it. I stopped filling it out, realizing that getting my life in order was likely more beneficial than chasing a diagnosis or medication.
However, for many parents, especially those who stay at home, perhaps Adderall could offer a solution to our challenges. I think many of us face similar struggles, grappling to stay engaged with the monotonous tasks that fill our days. If we take the questionnaire I once completed seriously, a good number of us could be diagnosed with what I’ve coined Parenting Attention Deficit Disorder, or PADD. I’m holding out hope that it makes its way into the next DSM edition.
Now, I’m not suggesting my attention drifts constantly. I can manage to feed my kids their seemingly endless meals and snacks, color with them for up to thirty minutes, and read stories for hours. But inevitably, my mind wanders to what adults who aren’t busy scrubbing macaroni and cheese off the ceiling are doing. In moments like these, I might find myself scrolling through Facebook or checking out headlines in an attempt to help my eldest with her social studies homework, trying to hide my surprise at learning “Wait, we have a black president? When did that happen?!”
Even when my PADD nudges me towards more interesting distractions, I still keep an ear trained on my kids. I need to be vigilant, especially to ensure my son isn’t smothering his little sister with affection, akin to Elmyra from Tiny Toons, who loves her pets just a bit too much. Most of the time, he’s a caring big brother, but at four years old, he’s hardly considered a reliable babysitter by anyone with a rational perspective.
The two of them playing together is not the ideal time for me to have a PADD moment, like I did the other day. When I noticed they were playing nicely upstairs, I peeked in to find my toddler playing with her sister’s dolls while my son sat at his desk, his back to me. After a quick stop on Twitter, I went upstairs to discover he was playing a game he called “Cut Everything” with scissors—a hilariously accurate yet alarming title.
I quickly confiscated the scissors and we embarked on a cleanup mission for the countless pieces of homemade confetti scattered across the floor. In a personal first, I even had to vacuum my toddler’s clothes while she was still wearing them (and yes, I shared that on Facebook during my next PADD episode).
I thought little of that incident until later that evening when my partner, Kelly, got home and asked about my toddler’s hair. “What happened to her beautiful curls?” she inquired. It dawned on me that during those five unsupervised minutes, my son had given his sister an unplanned haircut. Ever the clever little sister, she ratted him out: when Kelly asked if her brother had used scissors, she simply nodded and said, “Boy. Hair.”
Both of us were caught red-handed.
I completely understand Kelly’s frustration with my negligence; we were fortunate that it was just a haircut and that she still has all her fingers. Since that day, I’ve made a concerted effort to be more attentive. I’ve tried to steer clear of the computer’s seductive grasp on the Internet. But maintaining constant vigilance is a daunting task.
I doubt PADD is merely a phenomenon of the digital age. Parenting has always required a level of attention that can be easily diverted. As soon as humans began to walk upright, there were surely parents distracted by the flickering flames of a cave fire, ignoring their child’s antics in the process. I have evidence of this.
When the preschool teacher, Ms. Smith, heard my tale, she chuckled and shared her own story: “Oh yes, I’ve been there too. My older daughter once gave her little sister a haircut under the kitchen table. It was so bad she looked like she had just enlisted in the Marines.”
“When did you discover this?” I asked, bemused.
“I was sitting at the same table, sipping coffee and reading the newspaper,” she replied with a shrug. So while past generations may not have been hooked on Facebook, they certainly experienced their own version of PADD, just like we do today.
If you’re interested in navigating parenting, you might want to check out this excellent resource on pregnancy or explore more about home insemination in our blog on using artificial insemination kits or syringe kits that can help you on your journey.
In summary, whether it’s the allure of the internet or simply the age-old challenge of focusing on parenting amidst distractions, many of us share the experience of PADD. It’s a humorous yet relatable struggle that connects parents across generations.
Keyphrase: Parenting Attention Deficit Disorder
Tags: [“home insemination kit”, “home insemination syringe”, “self insemination”]