Over the next week, (I will address this issue for a longer time if you feel it would benefit you.) I will be addressing issues as related to teenagers who have ADHD. Please stay tuned.....
The life of a teenager is complicated enough, in terms of peer pressure, an increased emphasis on academics and arguably the most important issue, finding out the essence of who they are and who they want to be.
Teenagers with ADHD have difficulty seeing how the outside world sees them. Arguably, most teenagers experiment with make-up, clothes, activities, as well as the friends they choose. Experimenting is good, but these teenagers need to develop an internal barometer so that they can build a sense of who might be someone with whom to interact as compared to someone who might be detrimental to their self-esteem.
As parents, it is always important to win the war, even if we lose a few battles. An imperative consideration for parents is that you try to remain as unbiased as possible regarding your child’s friends. The ability to judge what kind of person your child is interacting with is far more important that the other teenager’s hair style or the style of clothes that he/she chooses to wear.
Judge as to whether or not that person is treating your child fairly, respectfully and/or kindly, instead of judging him/her based on torn jeans or shirts. Also, and very importantly, try to engage your child in a conversation where you discuss the values upon which choosing friends is based. Remember: Do not make judgments or negative comments about your teenager’s friends, because any negative response might push your teenager closer to someone whom you do not deem worthy.
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