Single Mom Gets Real About Parenting A Child With ADHD

The truth is – parenting is hard. It is worth it, of course, but it is never easy. Some parents seem luckier than others in having stable marriages and financial security. However, there are those who either have low incomes or are single parents trying to make it on their own.

Such is the case of Taylor Myers, a single mom of two – one infant, and a 4-year-old daughter with ADHD.

She was on her last leg when one comment at the grocery store made her break down in tears.

Myers shared her whole grocery experience along with a powerful message to all moms in a Facebook post which went viral.

The mother explains how while standing in line at a grocery store with a bag full of groceries, her daughter, Sophie, started to whine and fuss and throw everything from the bag because her mother didn’t buy her a bag of chips. Sophie’s mother has taken away the bag of chips as a punishment for Sophie calling her previously a ‘butthole’ in line.

“She’s relentless. I know this. I live with it. Her ADHD and obsessive little heart gets on these subjects of things she finds unjust and wrong and it doesn’t stop until she eventually falls asleep or something very dramatic happens to snatch the attention off the obsessed about subject,” writes Myers.

Myers decided not to obey her daughter just to stop her whining because that would just reinforce Sophie’s behavior. Instead, she told her to sit down when she heard a woman behind her in line saying: “Oh, for Christ’s sake give her a cookie so she’ll shut up!”  

In her post, Myers says that she should have done the right thing and explain nicely to the woman about the severe condition of her daughter with ADHD and that as a single mom she is doing the best she can. But, she lost her composure and said to the woman that she “needs to mind her own f***ing business” before bursting into tears from anger and frustration.

It was at that moment when another woman approached her and started talking to Sophie. She tried to distract her with questions, and when Sophie reached for the bag of chips again, she took the side of the mother and said to Sophie nicely: “No, you can’t have those today. You have to be good for your mommy. She needs you to be good for her. I have a little girl just like you. How old are you? How old is your brother?”

The distressed mother was genuinely grateful for this woman’s support and kindness.

“It only takes one comment to break someone down. You never know what someone’s going through. You never know the problems a child has that causes them to misbehave and unless you know the struggle of being a parent to a child like mine, you cannot judge me. But It also takes one small act of kindness to make a mama feel comfort and validation. Thank you to the woman in Walmart today, for showing that kindness to my children and I. Thank you for walking us out. Thank you for backing me up. Mamas have to stick together,” she concludes her post. 

Myers also has a personal blog called ‘Taylor Plus Two’ where he shares pictures and videos of her daily activities and shares her struggles in parenting her kids.

She says that she is happy with the massive response that her post had. Sometimes, just a simple act of kindness from one person can change everything.

Finally, she hopes that this story will inspire people to be more empathetic and loving to those around them.

“I hope that people who’ve read our story will see parents struggling with their children in public and meet them with kindness, rather than judgement,” Myers says.

“I hope that people see that all children, especially those with ADHD and other added struggles, need consistency and compassion in order to thrive,” she added. “They are not less because of their disorders, just different and we, as parents of these different and amazing little people, need support and empathy as well.”

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