TPP 349: Surviving and Thriving as a Parent with ADHD, with Elaine Taylor-Klaus (Impact ADHD)

Today I’m covering a topic that was suggested by a listener and, as soon as I read her email, I was like, Yes! And also, I can’t believe we haven’t done an episode on this yet!

So… today we’re going to be talking about being a parent with ADHD who is parenting neurodivergent children. Because I know there are endless parenting responsibilities that rely heavily on having solid executive function skills or balancing an inordinate amount of demands and emotional labor, and I know that these same requirements are likely not super strengths for a parent with ADHD.

This is where my guest today, Elaine Taylor-Klaus, found herself — stressed, overwhelmed, and struggling as a mom to three complex kids. When she initially shared with a psychiatrist how badly she was doing and asked if there might be something else going on, she was told, yes, it’s called being a mom.

But Elaine pushed for answers, finally getting a diagnosis of ADHD when she was in her early 40s. That new identification, and the personal development journey it initiated, changed life for Elaine and her family in the best possible way.

This is such a good conversation today, as we get into the many things parents with ADHD typically struggle with, how parents can best support themselves with the emotional and mental demands of parenting, and of course, we touch upon the many strengths of ADHD that can be leveraged to make a neuromixed family work better. I hope you enjoy it!

About Elaine Taylor-Klaus

Elaine Taylor-Klaus is a professional certified coach, parenting coach, writer, speaker and mother in an ADHD family of five. The Co-Founder of ImpactADHD, Elaine provides ADD Parent Support for managing "complex" kids with ADHD and other challenges. ImpactADHD’s coaching and training programs are dedicated to effectively support entire families by helping parents learn how to deal with a child with ADHD. Using online, group and personal coaching, as well as articles, blogs, forums and selected resources – all in an interactive format – ImpactADHD.com teaches parents to develop personalized strategic plans for themselves and their families. Through coaching with Elaine, and public presentations to schools and parent groups, parents are inspired to confidently raise successful, independent children. Elaine coaches parents, and teaches them how to use those skills to communicate more effectively with their kids. Elaine’s husband, David, is also her business partner in their shared company, Touchstone Coaching, which is the parent company for ImpactADHD and DTK Coaching.

Things you'll learn:

• How receiving an ADHD diagnosis positively impacted Elaine’s parenting and family life
• The most common challenges facing parents with ADHD as they navigate parenting in general, and specifically in raising neurodivergent kids
• What helps parents the most in bridging the gap for their children when they are also struggling being a person with ADHD
• The strengths that come with ADHD and how they can be leveraged to support one’s life as a parent

Resources mentioned:

• Impact Parents
• The Essential Guide to Raising Complex Kids with ADHD, Anxiety and More by Elaine Taylor-Klaus
• Special resources for Tilt Parenting listeners in ImpactParents
• Parenting with Impact Podcast
• Impact ADHD Resources for Parents
• Elaine Taylor-Klaus on LinkedIn
• Diane Demster

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