Free Roadmap to Cope with ADHD for Busy Moms

Beth Skaret
Sep 22, 2018
5 min read

Updated: Jul 7

Life is FULL, busy and overwhelming even in the best of circumstances.

If You’re a Mom…..YOU ARE BUSY….NO QUESTION.

If You’re a Mom of a Child with ADHD…..everything is TWICE as hard!

Don’t you wish you had a roadmap to help you cope?

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” ~ Psalm 119: 105

God has you covered! His word is a light for your path. All you have to do is follow the map.

Whenever you begin a journey, you need to know three things.

1. Where are you starting?

2. Where is your final destination?

3. What is the route between the two?

Well, you begin wherever you are right now. Many people think they need to have all their “ducks in a row” before they can start to seek God’s direction.

As a mom of a child with ADHD…. where you are is usually someplace messy and pretty far off from where you want to be. But that is where you must begin. Acknowledge your imperfect situation and know that you are loved just where you are.

“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” ~ Isaiah 41: 13

The next step…. where is your final destination? Where are you trying to go? That can mean different things depending on your goals.

· Maybe you’re trying to get your family to sit down to a meal together without a struggle.

· Maybe you want to help your child with ADHD remember to bring his homework home, complete it and then remember to turn it in.

· Maybe you’re trying to get your child with ADHD to be independent enough to go to college.

Whatever your destination, there is a path to get there.

So, you have your starting point, you have your destination in mind, now you just need to map out the route. You want to have clear cut directions, an exact list of what steps to take next, how far it is to the next exit, whether to turn left or right.

The thing is, you have to walk the path one step at a time and YOU DON’T GET TO LOOK AHEAD.

Hang on. I thought you said there was a road map?

There is. I promise. It’s just different that what you might have expected.

When you try to do things in your own strength, by your own wisdom and in your own time, who are you relying on to get the job done? Yourself, right?

And what usually happens when you rely on yourself to do things that are difficult?

· You get side tracked.

· You run into difficulties that you never saw coming.

· You get overwhelmed and give up.

· You fail.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” ~ John 15:5

To accomplish anything well, we must partner with God.

So how does this help me cope with ADHD as a busy mom?

Here is how it works:

If you first, acknowledge your messy current state, share with the Lord where you want to go.

Then, follow HIM. HE will lead you and show you where to turn and what roads to take according to HIS map.

He may only show you one step at a time, one turn, one phrase to say, one piece of each leg of the journey at a time. But it will be all you need at that moment in time.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. (2 Cor. 9:8)

As a busy mom, having a huge to do list is a given. Trying to add in a long list of steps to take in a complex journey is more than you probably need or even want to deal with.

Let God be your navigator. Let Him watch the map and be on the look out for construction or accidents along the way. He can see it coming WAY before you can.

He will tell you what to do and when to do it. He will show you where to turn, when to wait, when to take a detour. After-all, He is the one who made the map, right?

What does this look like in my life? How does He tell me what to do?

The roadmap for your life (ADHD filled or otherwise) is found in God’s word, the BIBLE. To recognize God’s leading in your life, you need to learn to recognize his “voice,” how He talks, what He says, know what he expects of you.

You find this in the Bible. Let’s look at how this might play out.

We’ll use an example from above:

Your starting place – Your child with ADHD cannot sit down through a meal with the family without crawling under the table or turning the food into toys that annoy his siblings and the event inevitably ends in a meltdown.

Your final destination – You want your entire family to be able to eat a meal and enjoy each other’s company.

In order to get from your starting point to the destination, you need to study the map. God’s map is the Bible. So, you need to spend time reading it yourself and with your family.

Does that mean you can look up “How to have a nice family dinner” in the Bible index and find a quick easy formula? No. It does, however, mean that when you spend time with the Lord, He will guide your thoughts and give you what you need to say and do as the need arises.

The route to your destination might go something like this:

In Psalm 107:9, we read: “For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” God knows we need to eat, he will make sure we are satisfied….in other words…your child who is currently using his fish sticks to bang on his upturned cup like a drum, will not go hungry.

In Romans 12:18, it says: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

God doesn’t want us to pick fights with each other. He wants there to be peace around your diner table. Read this with your family.

Ask them what peace at the table should look like. Ask them if they are being peaceful and if not, how could they change their behavior.

Have them try to act out what it would look like to be at peace with each other during dinner.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:11 it says: “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

God wants us to speak words of encouragement rather than judgement. Could you rephrase your expectations in a positive way? Instead of saying, “Don’t play with your food.” You could say, "The Lord has blessed you with some good food tonight, try some so you can show Him you appreciate it.”

Of course, it won’t all go perfectly the first time…or the fifth. Sometimes the people walking the path with you will stumble or get distracted (it is ADHD after all). But if you can follow the directions given, one step at a time, one day at a time, you WILL …. eventually get there.