well like the title says i had to give my job up to look after my ADHD child and its been quite hard to do that finacially but his needs must come first, hopefully one day things will settle and i will be able to return to work but at the mo i cannot see that, he has to come home at lunchtime everyday still as he cannot cope with an unstrutured hour, and even sometimes he has to come back at lunch and stay home for me to home teach him when he really isnt coping,, is there anyone else out there experiencing the same as me??

Hi Loopy

I just recently quit my job for similar reasons. I have ADD and my husband and daughter were both recently diagnosed as well. Our daughter is 6 and it became apparent early on in kindergarten that she was having attention issues.

Do you have a support group of friends that can help with some of the school issues? One of the biggest challenges I have experienced is what we are entitled to with the public school system. I notice you live in England and I am not familiar with what accomodations are legally required , if any.

Do you have an official diagnosis of ADD for your son? If so do you have anything that you can share with your son's teachers that may help him in school? For example, we have had our daughter meet with a psychologist and she has recommended having our daughter use colored pencils , which is a small start - we haven't made a decision about meds for her yet. I think we are leaning towards a trial run after the lots of soul searching and research.

For me it has always been easier to get by with less $ if it gets me some more time. Remember to take care of yourself during this time. I am working hard to get out and exercise right after our daughter goes to school. I am so much relaxed now because I am able to focus more on her and do some volunteering, more reading etc. the house is not looking much better - my plan was to make major improvements there too I'm sure it will come.

I do intend on going back to work in a part-time capacity and to help with that goal I need to start journaling again. It's always helped give me perspective, clarify my goals and serves as a good release.

Well, I need to run and help my daughter settle down for the night. bedtime can be stressful here! I am hopeful for you that this "break" will help you in the long run. There are lots of jobs, but you only get one shot with your kid. Just make sure you are happy and taking care of yourself too because you can't take care of other people if you aren't being kind to yourself. Good luck and take care!

Jennifer