My ADHD Child

My ADHD Child

When my daughter was diagnosed with ADHD, she was beside herself. She’s a great girl, a fine student (pretty much), a devoted friend, an amazing daughter.

But when I told her she has ADHD, she was extremely upset. “Having ADHD means I’m problematic! I don’t WANT to be problematic!”

So I shared with her something that I heard once from Rabbanit Rappaport, who established and once directed a special Jerusalem school, and was the granddaughter of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein zt”l.

Rabbanit Rappaport told me, “The kids with ADHD have a hard time getting through school.

“But just wait, when those ADHD kids grow up, with all that energy they have that made sitting through classes difficult, they become the leaders of the Jewish world!

“It’s people with ADHD who tend to establish and lead charity organizations and schools. They are often the community leaders and activists who drive the Jewish world forward.

“They will make a huge contribution not despite the fact that they have ADHD, but BECAUSE they have ADHD! Just wait and see…”

When I told my daughter that story, she stopped crying. And when she watched this video below: “My 10 Favorite Things about ADHD,” she actually smiled and felt proud!

This video may not be appropriate for sensitive male viewers

4 comments

  1. Love it! Thanks for posting.

  2. I just talked to my husband about this (he has pretty severe ADHD and struggled a lot as a child and young adult because he wasn’t diagnosed then). He said exactly the same thing about it without having seen what you wrote: that yes it causes trouble through school but it’s an amazing thing for life, makes you more curious, more creative, more conceptual and more energetic and it’s the ADHD kids that become leaders and CEOs in the end. But he WAS massive trouble as a child! BH your daughter was diagnosed now so her teachers will be aware of the issue rather than just thinking she’s intentionally naughty and difficult.

  3. Hadassah Aber

    Thanks for sharing this important information.

  4. I once heard from a Rav: School is good for “schoolable” children. For those children who don’t fit the system, school can be very very hard.

    We as the parents of such children have to help them get through school so that they can get into the real world where there are so many different types of environment for all different types of people where you can find what suits you.

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