Parenting Through Learning Differences
Parenting a child with a learning disability is a daily challenge, no matter where on the spectrum those struggles may fall. In our family, the odds were always high. My husband has dyslexia and ADHD, and while all of our children inherited my anxiety, two also carry the learning-disability gene. Life as a busy mom already feels like a juggling act, and the added layers of schoolwork and self-doubt can stretch me thin.
We made a family decision not to medicate—for now. That choice isn’t universal, but it works for us at this stage. If the time comes when it feels necessary, we’ll reconsider. In the meantime, our focus is on patience and flexibility. ADHD brings with it a storm of energy, humor, and spontaneity. Those qualities are exhausting at times, but they’re also part of what makes my child who he is.
Homework, though, is our battleground. One long session never works, so we break it into smaller pieces—two or three rounds, sometimes more. If reading is required, it usually means sitting together and sharing the load, one page at a time. Math is another story. I finally told the school, “Please send him home with his math already done, because it won’t happen otherwise.” It was one of the best boundaries I’ve set.
The hardest part isn’t the work itself. It’s watching my child wrestle with the awareness that he is different. He is his own toughest critic. We remind him daily that his strengths outweigh his struggles, that the very qualities that frustrate him now will serve him well later, and that these challenges won’t last forever.
Parenting through learning differences means accepting that progress won’t look like anyone else’s chart or report card. Some days we stumble, some days we soar. Most days, it’s simply about walking beside our children, steadying their steps until they can steady their own.
