...creating simple ways to do things can be the salvation of many an ADHDer, in relation to getting everyday stuff done around the house.
In our house, we strive to create some loose sense of routine at least, despite the fact that three of the five of us live at another house every four days. In other words, it's an extra layer of challenge. But that's okay. Life's like that.
The nature of the kids' mommy/daddy schedule though does create genuine challenges...for example, you can't create a day of the week specific schedule because they are not here on the same days of the week every week. Things like chores and household helping have to be worked in sort of spontaneously.
One of the wee girl's helping tasks that she likes is feeding the cats. Fine and dandy!
Let's talk about the cat's eating arrangements though:
We have two dogs, and two cats. We have to keep the voracious dogs out of the cat food and we have to keep the fat cat out of the dog food. So the cat food bowls live on the stairs to the basement where for some reason, the chihuahua will not venture, which keeps him from eating the food. Strangely the big dog also shuns the basement. So much the better.
When wee girl feeds the kitties, for some reason she is compelled to micro-manage their eating process to such a degree that she takes the bowls and MOVES THEM to a different place, every single time she feeds them with each bowl totally separated from the other, so that if you find one you still have to look for the other one...and she routinely forgets to put the scoop back in the cat food bin which usually means that it's rolling about on the kitchen floor somewhere, or it's been stolen and partially consumed by the chihuahua...and she often forgets to push the bin so that it snaps shut which of course defeats the whole purpose of having gotten a stay-tight container to keep those large quantities of kitty-kibble from drying out.
I'm sure you can picture the mild hysteria when I go to feed the cats after she has left to go back to her mum's house and I can't find the bowls, I can't find the scoop and as a cherry to the whole event, the bin has been left open.
I have had years of living with my brain to know that there are certain things you just have to do exactly the same every time or risk the peril of making your ADHD life completely fucking miserable. Wee girl is just 9 and so hasn't learned the benefits yet. I understand this...but in the moment when I am late for work because of my own ADHD quirks already, it sends me right over the edge of sanity. There's a lot of swearing involved, but it's okay because at that point there are no children home!
Some day it will all click for her...and I await that day with a grand and premature glee!
In our house, we strive to create some loose sense of routine at least, despite the fact that three of the five of us live at another house every four days. In other words, it's an extra layer of challenge. But that's okay. Life's like that.
The nature of the kids' mommy/daddy schedule though does create genuine challenges...for example, you can't create a day of the week specific schedule because they are not here on the same days of the week every week. Things like chores and household helping have to be worked in sort of spontaneously.
One of the wee girl's helping tasks that she likes is feeding the cats. Fine and dandy!
Let's talk about the cat's eating arrangements though:
We have two dogs, and two cats. We have to keep the voracious dogs out of the cat food and we have to keep the fat cat out of the dog food. So the cat food bowls live on the stairs to the basement where for some reason, the chihuahua will not venture, which keeps him from eating the food. Strangely the big dog also shuns the basement. So much the better.
When wee girl feeds the kitties, for some reason she is compelled to micro-manage their eating process to such a degree that she takes the bowls and MOVES THEM to a different place, every single time she feeds them with each bowl totally separated from the other, so that if you find one you still have to look for the other one...and she routinely forgets to put the scoop back in the cat food bin which usually means that it's rolling about on the kitchen floor somewhere, or it's been stolen and partially consumed by the chihuahua...and she often forgets to push the bin so that it snaps shut which of course defeats the whole purpose of having gotten a stay-tight container to keep those large quantities of kitty-kibble from drying out.
I'm sure you can picture the mild hysteria when I go to feed the cats after she has left to go back to her mum's house and I can't find the bowls, I can't find the scoop and as a cherry to the whole event, the bin has been left open.
I have had years of living with my brain to know that there are certain things you just have to do exactly the same every time or risk the peril of making your ADHD life completely fucking miserable. Wee girl is just 9 and so hasn't learned the benefits yet. I understand this...but in the moment when I am late for work because of my own ADHD quirks already, it sends me right over the edge of sanity. There's a lot of swearing involved, but it's okay because at that point there are no children home!
Some day it will all click for her...and I await that day with a grand and premature glee!
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