Surviving School Holidays with ADHD: A Personal Journey

Picture this: I come downstairs in the morning, laser-focused on the coffee machine. I’ve been craving that sweet bean juice ever since I woke up and spent the last 20 minutes doomscrolling in bed.

As I approach, I’m forced into an Olympic-level hop-skip-jump over the pile of Barbie bodies left from last night’s Barbie pool party… in my kitchen… for reasons unknown.

Finally, I hit the power button on the coffee machine only to find a child silently standing beside me.

“Can we go to Kmart?”

Brooooo… it’s 8am. Nooooooo.

Day one of school holidays. 

To most people, going to Kmart might not seem like a big ask.

But to me, going to Kmart means:

• Get dressed. What will I wear? Is it cold or hot? Oh great, my jumper has a stain.
• Find my keys. Which handbag are they in this time?
• Have I taken my meds? Where even are my meds?
• Tell the kids to eat something because food is too expensive outside the house.
• Youngest refuses… then declares she’s starving the second we walk through the doors.

We finally get there. It’s school holidays, so of course it’s absolute chaos.

I’m instantly overwhelmed.

Oldest daughter, who is weirdly tuned into my stress, starts checking if I’m okay.

Youngest is now hiding inside a clothes rack like it’s her new home. 

And me? I’ve started yelling in the middle of Kmart.

All this… for $12 leggings and ANOTHER journal I didn’t need.

This is ADHD executive dysfunctioning as a mum hundreds of small decisions, sensory overwhelm, and the pressure of parenting all at once.

Welcome to school holidays. 

Acceptance and Commitment Strategies to TRY and remember in moments like this: 

• Bless this mess: make room for the chaos, yelling, hiding in clothes racks.. Its a part of the package and I cant control it all but I can choose how I show up in the middle of it. 
• Pause and notice: “Yep, my brain is overloaded right now”. Yep my child is totally going to hide in that damn clothing rack. Naming it helps me unhook. 
• Reconnect with values: I value being a present, loving mum more than being a “perfect one”. This means letting go of the ideas that magically somehow THIS Kmart trip will be different to any others and somehow run smoothly 

Because sometimes survival isn’t about a stress-free Kmart trip… it’s about laughing through it, holding onto your values, and reminding yourself: you’re doing your best.