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An ADHD Holiday
Helping Your Child Cope By Beth Hering
Some role-playing ahead of time can go a long way. Talk with your child about the time and effort involved when someone picks out a gift. Stress that the most important thing is to make sure the giver feels appreciated. Assure your child that if the present is the wrong size, a duplicate or just plain unwanted, you will make an adjustment (such as exchanging it) later. His job is to offer a polite "thank you" and move on. Practice the scenario a few times. This will make it easier for your child to act it out if the situation arises, and there will be less anxiety over what will happen to the less-than-perfect gift when he knows you are prepared to deal with it.
Realize, however, that your decisions may not always be popular or understood. Other parents may have their own expectations, such as children should eat what is being served or that everyone remains at the table until everyone is finished. It might be hard to stick to your guns. But as Dr. Vincent Monastra, psychologist, points out in his book, Parenting Children with ADHD: 10 Lessons That Medicine Cannot Teach (American Psychological Association, 2004), ADHD is a health problem, just like diabetes or anemia, that can affect how a person acts. You as a parent need to treat it accordingly.