The Fun of Getting Out of the House aka I'm a Mom to a kid with ADHD

Getting out of the house with a 7 year old little boy when the meds haven't kicked in is like trying to herd a bunch of cats that are fleeing in mulitple directions. It just doesn't work too well. Although I give J his meds at 7:00, they usually don't kick in until 50 minutes later. By that time, I am already at work, preparing my lessons. I don't get to experience the benefit of a calm moment like his teachers do. A typical morning goes like this:

Me: J- look at me, look at my face, pay attention.

(J looking anywhere but my face, bouncing on one foot, trying to grab a hook off the counter)

Me: Look at me, I need to tell you something. Please go into your bedroom and take off your night-night clothes.

J: *singing in a very loud voice* OK!! I WILL DO THIS NOW!!!

I turn back to get his lunch prepared- this usually takes about 5 minutes. I observed that during these 5 minutes, he has run around the dining room table 6x, picked L up and made her cry, thrown a pile of freshly washed laundry on the ground, turned the water on in the bathroom and left it on, and screamed at the top of his lungs three times. What hasn't he done? Taken off his clothes.

Me: J- please stop what you are doing and get dressed.

J: I WILL. I MEAN I AM. I hate you. I like Daddy more than you.

Me: I know, you tell me all the time you hate me. I get it. Go get dressed. If you keep this up, I will be late to work and you will be at school, still in your pajamas and without shoes or socks.

J: *screaming and crying now* I am getting dressed. I am. Don't take me to school. I guess I am going to loose TV FOREVER. You hate me.

Me: Whatever J. I don't hate you. I love you but I don't love the way you are acting. If you can't pull yourself together, I will put you in your room for a break and I will get ready without helping you.

J: *picks himself off the floor, crosses his arms in front of him and stomps to his room, slamming the door in the process, shaking the house and making L cry.*

Whew!! That was intense. Except that in another 5 minutes, I go in there and he not only hasn't gotten dressed, but he has created a tower of terror out of his plastic toy bins. I have 5 minutes before I have to leave. There are no other choices for me at this point in time.

Me: *raised voice, a little panicked* Get dressed now, I will call your father and let him know how difficult you are making this. I need to leave in 5 minutes. You will be coming with me, dressed or not.

J: *screaming, crying, throwing objects at me* NO MOMMY NO NO NO NO NO Don't call Daddy. Don't call Daddy. Please!! I am getting dressed. I promise. I really promise this time. Don't leave without me.

Me: *closes his door* Fine J, I won't leave without out providing that you are ready NOW.

Then I usually hear a huge bang on the door where he has thrown his shoes at the door. At this point, I can ignore him and get everything in the car, ready to go when he gets his clothes on. Sometimes I get his socks and shoes and put them in the car so he can put them on on the way to school, other times, he will do that before we leave. There are occasions where he gets ready easily and quickly and then has some time to grab his scooter, run outside and blow off some early morning energy, but those are few and far between.

By the time I get to work, I am exhausted and then have to set up and prepare myself to deal with high school students, all of whom have some type of ADD or ADHD, need specialized attention and require a stratified curriculum. More on that later.