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There are as many types of parents in this world as there are children. I am the parent of an ADHD child, and his attention deficit touches every part of how I raise him. I’m a live-and-let-live person; however you want to parent is fine with me. There are a few exceptions, and I’m willing to bet that, if you’ve run into these moms, they’ve rubbed you the wrong way, too, like fingernails on a chalkboard. Here are five that rank as the most annoying:
The Super Mom
She posts on social media about how amazing she and her kids are. She always picks the right gifts for teachers and throws birthday parties that look like a photo spread. Her kids are always clean, dressed, and out the door on time. As an ADHD mom, I know that every school day is a struggle, and getting out the door is an outright challenge. Does it really matter whether my kid’s shirt is tucked in or his shoes are tied? These moms make it look easy, and make the rest of us look bad.
The Aggressive Coach
She runs along the sidelines at peewee football games yelling at her child to “get the ball” and “make that tackle.” She expects that her child will be the best at any sport she signs them up for. She never volunteers to coach the team; she will focus on coaching only her child. Her child will score the most points, be the all-star, and stand out as a better player than any of his teammates. ADHD moms know that their child may excel today and struggle tomorrow, so we take the good days and let the bad ones go.
The Anything-Goes Mom
This mom is easygoing, so laid back that it never bothers her that her child looks like Pigpen or needs a haircut. She doesn’t care if anyone judges her and her child, and she never judges another parent. To her, parenting is not a competition, and she doesn’t care about winning. She never tells her child to be careful or to share her toys. It’s an anything-goes household, and growing up is only about testing limits. Except that in this house, there are no limits. I would love to throw the rules out the window, and that would make my ADHDer happy, but I know that sticking to a schedule is best for him.
The “I Can Do It Better” Mom
Parenting is hard. If I get it right 40 percent of the time, I’m lucky. The last thing I want is for someone to tell me how I could have done it better. Trust me, I know I could have done it better. I feel that way almost every day, so please don’t point it out to me. These moms remind me that their child would never act like mine. Their child has never struggled in school, and they are sure that their parenting is the reason for it.
The Spotless House Mom
We all know this mom. How does she do it? My house looks like children live there. There are things everywhere. None of them are my things, mostly because, since I’ve had children, I don’t have many things, but that’s another story. There are discarded shoes and cast-off jackets, school backpacks, and paper. The amount of paper generated by children enrolled in the public school system is mind-boggling. I don’t need most of it, but I have to find time to look at it before I decide to recycle it.
There’s a little bit of these moms in me. And there are times when I wish I was like the Spotless House Mom (can she handle those school papers for me?). However, admitting that I have some parent envy, I know I’m doing the best I can each moment.
