As a mother, I personally experienced the anguish and frustration of seeing my daughter spend endless nights staying up late to finish homework or cram for a test. What started in elementary school only got worse when she entered middle school. As the workload increased so did the endless nights.

Other than homework battles, my life was plagued by multiple reminders of chores that needed to be completed and nagging her for not keeping her room clean. I often felt “unheard” making me react abruptly and lose my patience easily.

As time went by, frustration turned to overwhelm and overwhelm became the host of “big” emotions, and not knowing how to handle them became more and more frequent. My daughter began experiencing feelings of guilt for not doing what she was “expected”, and loneliness for not being understood by her family and peers causing for her to want to avoid many tasks and social interactions.

My once creative and happy child was struggling so deeply that I knew something had to change. After talking to her and agreeing that she needed support we began incorporating into her routine focusing and time management skills to help her with her executive function difficulties. She began to establish the systems to help her remain organized and productive. Social skills and mindfulness practices were key to support her increase her connections with others, be more in touch with her emotions, and take control of her actions.

Watching her success after consistently implementing these strategies, now as a young adult diagnosed with ADHD, has motivated me to continue using my coaching skills to support those students and their families going through the same struggles we went through. My wish is for students and their families to know that there is hope and that with intention and persistence, it is possible to move forward, one-step-at-a time.