Beginning this review has been more challenging than I anticipated because I find myself stumbling over language. There is a lot of misunderstanding and stigma around ADHD. I don’t like calling it a “condition” and I certainly don’t want to call it a “disorder” because that supposes that there is a “right” way to be and exist. In our society, we have lumped brains into “neurotypical” and “neuroatypical” categories, and ADHD drops you into the “neuroatypical” box.
Having a diagnosis for my kiddo has enabled us to equip him with tools and medication to be his best self. (And again, even “best self” doesn’t seem quite right. He’s great no matter what. But I digress). As he has entered teen-dom he has become less communicative, as is the way with teens, so I have been searching for ways to have more connection and understanding, and books are always my first stop on the “I want to learn more” train. Dan Harris on the podcast “Ten Percent Happier” interviewed an author and ADHD expert who has written a book for parents of kids with ADHD and a book for teens with ADHD, so I dove immediately snagged both. My kid is a bit of already reluctant reader, even of subject material he’s very passionate about, so I knew dropping a book on mindfulness and ADHD would be a tough, and maybe impossible sell, so I told him I’d read it first and highlight passages I thought might be helpful or relevant, and he can peruse it at his leisure. (Buuut should I have even read it and highlighted it, to pass it along? I guess that’s a question for me (and my therapist) to answer. But I digress. Again.).
Overall, this book provided a lot of insight into understanding what it is to have ADHD and relate to a teen with it, so it’s a great resource for a parent, especially if you do not have ADHD. It’s a short read with a clear format and something you could easily read in an afternoon, or instead take in a chapter at a time over several weeks. Each chapter starts with a quote from a teen, grounding the material with some relatable authenticity and each chapter ends with a helpful learning summary.
Bertin is very careful to frame things as you “might” experience x, and not be too prescriptive in explaining how ADHD manifests, which is great, as it leaves room for personal interpretation and is never judgmental
I found it valuable, not just as a parent, but as someone who has begun my own meditation and mindfulness practice in the past few years, and this book has deepened my understanding of the importance and impact of those practices.