Nobody likes to be transparent and vulnerable about their limits and the things that are hard for them. In fact, we are taught from a young age to dislike it. The problem with trying to cover up our shortcomings is they breed deep beliefs about our worth and identity.
Most of us wear masks – we sometimes call them hats. We can be chameleons, we say with great pride. It's true, folks with ADHD can appear very adaptable and resilient. After-all, we've endured varying degrees of unfair criticism (and some fair but with a stinging delivery), which can shape us in ways that at first glance seem like the real us.
Perhaps we've told ourselves we don't really like big social gatherings or it's best not to speak in a meeting because we'll hog the time or cut someone off.
One mama I worked with told me she always felt like an outsider at the playground with her kids. She could FEEL the difference between her and the other mothers. I knew what she meant to the core of me and ached for all the neurodivergent mamas, like her, in spaces with other parents feeling like a freak.
That's why I created The Park. It's the gathering place for moms who don't have perfect homes, forget to wash uniforms, and buy grocery store cupcakes for their kids' birthday at school. For all the mamas who are locked in anxiety interacting with other adults in settings where she's expected to be "the mom."
Motherhood looks very different for those with ADHD, and hiding and pretending we've got things as together as the hip online influencer momprenuer is hurting us.
Our ADHD or anxiety or depression or whatever does not mean we are not good moms. We need to do things differently and protect our energy more fiercely.
WE ARE GOOD MOMS.
If you need mom friends who get it, come hang with us in The Park.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels