Caught Red-Faced in the Men’s Room

Sometimes it takes an eye-opening event before others realize how much ADHD might affect your life. Here’s what happened one day when I left my Auntie Barb in the men’s bathroom at the park. I think you might get a kick out of hearing her tell it. It opened her eyes to the very real ways that having ADHD affects my life — she suddenly saw ADHD quite differently.

Here is her story, in her own words:

“I was at the park for the day with my nephew Jeff and his cousin, who is my 7-year-old grandson. The unexpected came up and my grandson needed my help in the men’s bathroom. I went to his aid and asked my nephew Jeff to guard the bathroom door for me, explain the situation, and ask men not to enter until I was safely out of there.

Only a few minutes later, I came out of the stall with my grandson and met with a gentleman already using the facility — and another one coming in! I was shocked, I had expected Jeff to keep everyone out.

Outside Jeff was no where to be found. I was disappointed with him and just a little angry. When I confronted him he said he forgot what he was supposed to be doing. He gave me a hug and reminded me that he had ADHD. I told him he was using that as an excuse to shirk responsibility.

Later that day, I talked to his mom and found out that kids with ADHD often forget things and that this was one of the biggest reasons they keep getting in trouble. He honestly did forget and wasn’t being irresponsible on purpose.

I learned about how Jeff forgets his homework even after spending hours to do it, and he forgets important notices then misses out on events because permission slips don’t get handed in. It was a real eye opener. We are kind to old people who forget and angry with kids. Learning about ADHD has made me more compassionate even though I was caught red-faced in the men’s room.”

Submitted by Jeff’s Auntie Barb Morris

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