Hi!
Thanks for taking the time to have a little virtual introduction. I'm really glad you're here.
The short version is that The O'Brien Method for a drama free ADHD life was born out of my frustration of NOT finding any straightforward, realistic, easy to use solutions or strategies when it came to parenting a child with ADHD. I waded through thousands of pages of research on ADHD and child development and all it did was explain what was wrong or that I had to "fix" my child - which didn't help at all.
So, I jumped into learning about ADHD by going to workshops and taking courses on the brain, ADHD, and other developmental differences as well as reading as much as I could about the brain, learning, and behavior. I met with learning specialists, special education teachers, occupational therapists, and neuropsychologists. This crash course on ADHD was perfectly timed because I was in love with a man who had ADHD and was just starting my teaching career and had students with the diagnosis. After a couple of years - I felt like a rock star! All of my students were thriving, especially those with ADHD who had been 'given up on' and ADHD was not dominating my relationship with my husband. Little did I know that this was the beginning of a lifelong love affair with ADHD and that I would dedicate my life to it.
And, then we had a kid. I swear it was like someone threw a switch. All of a sudden, everything we had so carefully built to make life run smoothly was thrown out the window. It became painfully clear that my husband could barely manage to take care of himself and manage his ADHD while also having a baby dependent on him. I was exhausted, and suddently I felt like a single mom with 2 kids to take care of. It felt like ADHD was running and ruining my life. and I had no idea what to do. In a fit of frustration, I yelled at my husand "this is your issue. Fix it!" Not my finest moment, I admit.
Truth be told, parenting was already proving to be harder than I thought, and I was already questioning my ability to be a good Mom - whatever that meant. Now, I found myself questioning my marriage as well.
Something had to change. I could walk away from it all - but that wasn't really an option for me. Or, I could figure it out. This was scary because my whole life I've been a fixer, but I felt like I couldn't fix this. In fact, the harder I tried, the worse things got.
So, my husband found a therapist to talk to, and after a couple of sessions he asked me to come to one with him. Honestly, I was smug and ready to hear all of the ways I was going to be vindicated. Boy, was I wrong! I'll never forget when she said; "I was part of the problem. A really big part."
It was like being dunked in ice-cold water, and totally what I needed. My husband didn't need to be fixed. There was nothing wrong with him. We needed a lifestyle audit and a mindset shift. So, we regrouped and took everything we knew about ADHD, communication, learning, our goals, wants and needs, and went back to the drawing board. Together, honestly and candidly, we threw out all the "shoulds" given to us from society, our parents, and anywhere else and figured out what we needed to make our family and life work. Our method was evolving in order to maintain a drama free ADHD life. And, it worked brilliantly. For the next few year, we were able to handle everything that came our way because we created a system to keep ADHD out of the driver's seat. We moved across the country, had another kid, changed jobs, became landlords, sold a house, bought a house...ya know - adulting.
But wait, there's more. The summer before my son went to Kindergarten things went south. Every single time we asked him to do something, anything, he flipped out. And, not the normal 5 year old, I don't want to do chores stuff.
Yelling, screaming, throwing things, and getting physical if we tried to force him. My husband and I were trying everything we could think of or that people told us about how to parent because we weren't going to raise a bratty, entitled child. Timeouts, reward chars, punishments, you name it... And, one afternoon, after asking him to do something and going through another round of tantrums, I sent him to his room - he was in a "time out." After a few minutes, I went to check on him and was shocked when I opened the door. His entire room was trashed. All the bedding ripped off his bed. All the posters on his wall torn off. All his drawers open and clothes thrown across the floor. WTH?! I was gearing up for some serious parenting and doling out consequences. Until I saw his face. He was sitting in the middle of the floor, surrounded by stuff he loved, tears streaming down his cheeks. I remember having the fleeting thought of "good he should be crying." Then he looked up at me and said "It's okay if you don't love me. I don't deserve to live."
I swear time stopped. I couldn't believe it. At that moment, nothing else mattered. Absolutely nothing. The bedding. The decorations. The clothes. Even what he had done to get sent to his room (which too this day, I can't remember what it was). Nothing! I scopped him up and say in a cushionless chair and held him so tight and kissed the tears from his cheeks as they started slipping down mine.
Time to regroup. I remember talking with myhusband late that night asking questions like -- what in the world happened? How are we supposed to send him to school if this is how he responds at home? How are we going to help him? He's already wondering if his life is worth it - what happens when he's older? Do we need to get him in therapy? Does he need medication?.... the questions came fast and furious. We were also both teachers and have seen hundreds of kids, many with ADHD, so we knoew what was in store for our guy in the coming years. And, in the dark places of all of this, I wondered - had I done something wrong? Even though I knew ADHD was a neurobiological condition, I couldn't help but wonder if this was somehow my fault. I questioned whether I had the strength to "deal" with it. I mean I was super stressed. I wasn't sleeping well. I was in cycles of guilt and shame which led me to try to compensate in other ways. I was ignoring my own health. I was going through the motions when it came to my relationship.
Again, I could give up or I could make a decision that it was time to do things differently. I knew with every fiber of my being tht ADHD was not the problem and that our kiddo was young so we needed to parent for the long game. Once again, we had to figure out how to get ADHD out of the driver's seat and raise this amazing child. So, which it was not my 'fault', I couldn't help but remember the words from that therapist years ago - you are part of the problem. A big part. And, that's when it became really really clear what we needed to do and our methodology upgraded again!
For the next 10 years, we have been perfecting the O'Brien Method and sharing it with our friends, coaching parents of students in my schools, and working independently with Moms who were at their wit's end. And, I am so glad that I get to share it with you. We've taken thousands of hours of research, conferences, and workshops, all of the knowledge I've gained from completing two Masters Degrees in Education, teaching certification, working with hundred of kids and families and hundreds of hours being trained as a facilitator in leadership development, hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars on mindset and behavior work, and packed it all into our approach.
First, all for me and now all for you.
Usually, at this point in the conversation, Moms ask me - well does it work? So, I'll take just another minute of your time and share that with you. First, as you get to know me, you'll learn that I don't continue to do things that don't work when it comes to ADHD and my family. Second, it depends on what you mean. Conventionally, we've beaten some of the odds.
My husband and I have been married since 2004, where some studies suggest that the divorce rate among couples managing ADHD is twice as high as that of "regular" people.
We've had a stable life with consistent employment. We own our home and our cars.
Our son has performed well in school. Competes successfully on teams, athletic and e-sports.
And, there's a lot of other stuff that goes into those things, too..
But, for us, here's why we say it works...
As a family, we enjoy spending time together. We travel well together (car trips, camping, and internationally). We enjoy exploring new places and my husband and son are open to new experiences. We enjoy simple things like family game night without drama.
My son is kind, makes friends, has passions and interests, and asks for help. He continues to perform well at school and continues to build independence as well as insight into what makes him tick. He's becoming increasingly confident in advocating for himself.
And, let's get real - I am calm. I am confident about my role as Mom. I have a toolkit that gets me through every situation. I have rituals and routines that protect my sanity and my health. I sleep well at night. I don't fight with my husband. I don't fight with my kid. And so much more. And, it's not just me. The moms I work with experience the same shifts in their lives as well.
Alright, this is long enough. I'll stop here. Thanks for reading. As you can see, I am really passionate about helping Moms experiencing drama free ADHD. I hope you'll reach out to schedule a time to talk so i can learn more about your journey with ADHD. It's up to you - you can continue to do what you are doing and hope the outcome will be different. You can do what I did and spend thousands of hours and dollars to figure this out. Or you can take the shortcut, eliminate at least a decade of frustration, and learn from me.
Looking forward to talking with you soon.
Tired of nothing working? The right frame of mind and information can make all the difference.
Start by downloading my free guide - 21 Unsolicited Parenting Tips.
Click Here!