Going away with kids on your own can be stressful. Not having your partner there as back up in case you get tired or the kids act up can be even more stressful, especially when one of them has ADHD.
Thankfully, I had my sister in law along for the ride with me as well as her kids so the boys had company wherever we went and, the hotel that we stayed in had plenty of activities to keep the kids entertained so there was always something to do.
I was super anxious about going away with Leni without my hubby as back up and how he would be away from his usual surroundings and routine, but in the end I was pleasantly surprised.
The worst part overall were the mornings which I expected and whilst it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be and it could have easily been a whole lot worse, there were a few touch and go moments.
The first morning he woke up at 630 and wanted to go to the hotel gym before breakfast. It seemed like a great idea at the time, burn some energy and get a good hit of dopamine into him before we sat down to eat but the fun lasted for all of 15 minutes before he wanted to lift weights that only the rock could handle so I had to get him out of there before he hurt himself or someone else.
The next morning he was up at 6 and although he insisted on heading to the gym I was able to persuade him otherwise, win for me. I had thought ahead and brought some breakfast foods with me so I could feed him early but on the second day he insisted on eating at the buffet so I held off on giving him anything as well as his medication so he could enjoy breakfast with all of us. They say hindsight is a funny thing! Indeed it is.
I followed him around the buffet moving with stealth speed to avoid plates being dropped and watched him reach for tongs to fill his plate with fruit like he was about to start throwing things around. The whole scene reminded me a lot of the movie Drop Dead Fred when the main character played by Phoebe Cates is trying to stop Fred (her imaginary friend) from doing silly things at a cocktail party. If you know you know!
He did also throw himself on the floor at one stage but it was because he was laughing and pretending to die and not because he was having a meltdown so I guess it could have been worse. Did I give him my phone so he could calm down and hyper focus on something? Guilty as charged but it helped so I’m not sorry!
He was his usual hyperactive self in the mornings and yes there was a moment or two where I held his hand and helicopterred around him in case he dropped something or did something silly but for the most part I coped and he was able to be himself.
We did activities throughout the day that kept him active and happy which was great. His appetite was better than it usually is but I put that down to being more active, again this was a win.
Overall I was impressed with how well we managed. It helped that I did everything I could to make things more bearable for him and kept to a routine as far as medication was concerned but it paid off.
I know there are parents out there who don’t even leave the house sometimes because they are afraid of how their child will behave or how they will be judged which I get but once you’ve done it and survived it gives you the motivation to keep going and to look forward to doing it again.
I think a 12 year old on the cusp of puberty was much harder to travel with then my 8 year old ADHDer and that really is saying something!
Staying Focused 
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