No doubt that, as a parent, being told that your youngster is an ADHD child will unleash a torrent of often conflicting emotions within you.
You may feel that things have suddenly become a little 'skewed', and that you are no longer in charge of your life or that of your child, either.
You will perhaps feel a terrible, but nevertheless natural, surge of sadness, frustration and remorse.
In some ways, you will probably even blame yourself for the fact that your child has been diagnosed an ADHD child.
In the midst of all of these conflicting feelings and emotions however, it is very important not to lose sight of one crucial fact.
That is, it is not the end of the world and that the fact that your child is now 'officially' an ADHD child does not change them or your one jot! You must accept the fact that many, many kids that are diagnosed with ADHD (or the associated ADD) will ultimately be seen to have gifts and talents that far outweigh their 'disability'! There are quite a few ways in which you can help your ADHD child to nurture and utilize his (or her) 'special' talents, and thus deal with ADHD.
The first and perhaps most critical step is to know exactly what it is that you are dealing with, by doing your research and becoming familiar with everything there is to know about ADHD.
Quite simply, the more that you know about what being an ADHD child means to your youngster, the more you will be able to help them.
You will be better equipped to help your child, and understand their particular problems.
You would also be able to teach yourself about some of the more popular or common ADHD treatments, and be better prepared to face whatever might happen next.
In this way, you can position yourself to help your ADHD child to cope better with their situation, to teach them more about their condition, and to answer any questions or queries that they might have.
Being informed will be useful in readying you to work with your child's medical professional to try to manage their disorder successfully, too.
In consultation with your Doctor, you will also have to give very serious consideration as to whether you can accept having your child medicated.
This will obviously depend on several factors, such as the degree and severity of your ADHD child's 'affliction', and will also be decided at least to some extent by your own individual opinion.
At the end of the day, such a decision is an entirely personal one that only you can make.
Some parents have maintained that the administration of drugs or medicines give their ADHD child the best chance of leading as normal a life as possible and that, therefore, such drugs are a good option.
For others, medication is a very definite 'last resort', something to which they really do not want to turn until all else fails.
However, no matter which path you should choose to take, you need to make that decision based on knowledge and certainty, rather than on guesswork! Even if you should decide that using medications is the right way for you and your child to go, you should not lose sight of the fact that you still need to manage your ADHD child's behavior as well.
By teaching them the basics of what constitutes acceptable behavior and what does not, you will prepare your child for life, teaching them the skills that they will need in order to become efficient and productive in later years.
The strategies, plans and rules that your child must adhere to must come from you.
It is absolutely crucial that a children suffering from ADHD has clearly defined limits set on their actions and that they must be taught to adhere to those guidelines.
You must be willing to encourage your child at all times, no matter how difficult their behavior may sometimes become.
You should be their strongest supporter, and provide them with everything that they might need to succeed.
Whether they are at home or in school, it is your job to help your child to grow into a confident, self-assured and happy person.
Rather than focusing or concentrating on the negative side of them being an ADHD child, you should strive to recognize their potential and try to help them to do the same.
Make sure that they are always aware of the extent to which you value and love them.
An ADHD child is often susceptible to some degree of depression and low self-worth, so you need to be aware of, and prepared for this eventuality.
You must be ready and able to take the necessary actions to deal with this situation, never forgetting, of course, that you can always seek expert help should the situation demand it.
Finally, is at all possible, never allow either yourself or your ADHD child to become isolated and cut-off from others.
If possible, seek out and join a good support group to meet and interact with others in the same situation as you.
It is very often true that sharing a problem does lessen its burden upon you, andthe advice that you can get from a parent who has been through a similar situation to yours is probably the best advice you can ever hope to receive.
Do not be mislead into thinking that having an ADHD child in the home is the end of the world.
Do not allow yourself to treat it as such, and the quality of life for both you and your ADHD child will be immeasurably enhanced.