I have ADHD and was in a pretty difficult single-parent/long commute situation for years, but my daughter was clean, had clothes that fit, knew she was loved, and had her needs prioritized.
OTOH, I could see my narc-mother writing some of this — K preferred loose-fitting clothes from the boys’ department, she has super-thick wavy hair that is a challenge to keep from frizzing (it’s not the same texture as my own fine spiral curls, so it took a LOT of experimenting with techniques and products to get it to look its best, and she was resistant to brushing as a kid), and she loved mismatched socks (“Halloween is a theme,” even if one is green and one is orange!)
But she had the option of dress-up clothes and hair braiding/styling as desired, she was always clean, her laundry was done, she had the required black/white uniform outfit for orchestra concerts, and her school aftercare and summer care was always planned-out.
So… I don’t 100% trust the LW as a reliable narrator (they pretty clearly have contempt for their daughter using ADHD as an “excuse”), but I’m also concerned that Katie is being neglected, if they’re not exaggerating their account.
I spent 30 minutes unmatting my friend’s child’s hair with coconut oil after the kid spent a week with their shitty abusive/neglectful father, so I take reports of dirty/unbrushed children as a sign of a real potential issue.
Needs more info from a less-biased source — wonder what Katie’s teacher or daycare provider would say?
no subject
OTOH, I could see my narc-mother writing some of this — K preferred loose-fitting clothes from the boys’ department, she has super-thick wavy hair that is a challenge to keep from frizzing (it’s not the same texture as my own fine spiral curls, so it took a LOT of experimenting with techniques and products to get it to look its best, and she was resistant to brushing as a kid), and she loved mismatched socks (“Halloween is a theme,” even if one is green and one is orange!)
But she had the option of dress-up clothes and hair braiding/styling as desired, she was always clean, her laundry was done, she had the required black/white uniform outfit for orchestra concerts, and her school aftercare and summer care was always planned-out.
So… I don’t 100% trust the LW as a reliable narrator (they pretty clearly have contempt for their daughter using ADHD as an “excuse”), but I’m also concerned that Katie is being neglected, if they’re not exaggerating their account.
I spent 30 minutes unmatting my friend’s child’s hair with coconut oil after the kid spent a week with their shitty abusive/neglectful father, so I take reports of dirty/unbrushed children as a sign of a real potential issue.
Needs more info from a less-biased source — wonder what Katie’s teacher or daycare provider would say?