Teach your Child with ADHD to Pay more Attention to his Grandparents

Of all of the entries that I have written, this one could be the most important.


Your attitude regarding the value you place on the importance of family in your lives will be seen as a model for your children with ADHD. Oftentimes, we hear ourselves saying, “I have so much to do for work,” or “I have so much homework,” or “Oh, I will call later,” and do not call. We seem to live in a world where many people are so self-absorbed that they simply do not think of others as much as they could and/or should. Each of our roles in our lives is constantly changing.

For example, if you have aging parents you will soon see a role reversal in your lives. Your parents used to take care of you. All of a sudden, you are taking care of them. This new role may conflict with your role as a parent to your child with ADHD, which is a challenging role in itself, so let us see how we can avoid that clash.


As we multitask in 2011, it is vital to teach your child with ADHD that there is plenty of time in a day for you to pay attention to both your child and your parents. If it seems as if you do not have the time, between your work, your child’s homework, spending time with your spouse as well as enjoying some private time, find five minutes in your day when you and your child interact with your parents in some way. Remember that your child with ADHD will emulate how you interact with your parents.

This is imperative: In order to avoid a conflict between yourself and your child with ADHD, involve your child in supporting your parents. In that way, you will all be a team working together, instead of taking on all of the responsibilities associated with taking care of your parents alone.

By designing a schedule of the care-taking responsibilities that are associated with your parents, you will teach your child with ADHD the value of being organized, which these children need to learn as part of improving their executive function. What would be included in that schedule?

You could include visits, phone calls, etc. Without an organized schedule, we might think that we have called or visited our parents one day, but often have not done so. However, you do not have to visit your parents every day. Remember that much of the support that senior citizens need is emotional. In essence, they just need to know that someone is listening to them. You can call or fax or even have your child write and send an old-fashioned letter via snail mail. (post office)

Remember, a little attention goes a long way with your parents and your child’s grandparents. One important benefit for your child with ADHD paying more attention to his/her grandparents is that they will undoubtedly be very much appreciated by them, which will add to your child’s self-esteem. Everyone benefits from praise, but children with ADHD are even more in need of praise when they behave in an appropriate way, instead of constantly hearing criticism when they exhibit inappropriate behavior.