The End-of-Term Emotional Roller Coaster: Parenting a Child with ADHD

Big Feelings…..Big Emotions

You know it’s the end of term when your kid starts melting down over the wrong brand of yoghurt, you can’t find a single school sock despite you buying 15 pairs, and the school hat is… somewhere between your car, the dog’s bed, and Narnia.

If you’re raising a child with ADHD, you’ve probably felt the emotional build-up that comes with the end of term 2. And if you’re anything like me (a fellow ADHD parent who has both been there and is still there) you might also be questioning your life choices while hiding in the pantry with a block of chocolate your desperately trying to open in silence.

Let’s be real. Parenting a neurodivergent child is not for the faint-hearted. It’s a ride filled with highs, lows, sideways spins, and the occasional emotional vomit (from us, not them). And when the school term drags toward the finish line, that roller coaster gets even wilder.

Why Does It Get So Much Harder at the End of Term?

ADHD brains, kids and adults alike, burn through their “coping fuel” much faster than others. Executive function, emotional regulation, social masking, remembering the 38 steps of the morning routine, it’s all exhausting. By week 7 or 8 of term, our kids are running on fumes. That’s when you start seeing:

• More resistance to basic routines.

• Big feelings over small stuff (like the dog breathing too loud).

• Feeling like your child could erupt at any given moment because you asked how their day was.

• Homework battles that make you consider becoming a hermit.

• School refusal, shutdowns, or explosive behaviour.

And what happens to us as parents? We absorb all of it. Their dysregulation becomes our overwhelm. We try to hold it all together, school lunches, housework, work/school meetings, managing meltdowns, the dentist appointment you forgot to reschedule three times not to mention making sure the dogs fed and everyone has food & clean undies for the week! It’s no wonder we end up sobbing into the laundry pile or rage vacuuming while muttering “I’m fine” to ourselves.

You Are Not Alone (Even If It Feels That Way)

Here’s the truth that often gets lost in the chaos: You’re doing a hard thing. You’re parenting in a world that very often doesn’t understand your child or what you go through every day just to keep things ticking along.

And while your child might seem ungrateful or disconnected in those tricky moments, they’re not. They’re overwhelmed, too. They just don’t have the language or the skills to show it properly yet. Parents & children need space to fall apart sometimes. You both deserve compassion.

The Power of Perspective (And a Bit of Humour)

Let’s zoom out. If your child made it through the term without being suspended, that’s a win.

If you only forgot Crazy Hair or PJ Day once at school, that’s a win.

If you managed to send something for lunch, knowing it wasnt going to get touched… your nailing it!

So yes, you might be tired, touched-out, and running purely on caffeine and whats left of your willpower. But you’re also still showing up, adapting, learning, and loving your child in the way only you can. And that matters. For now just do your best to enjoy the break from school day humps and hurdles one day at a time.

What Now?

If the end-of-term chaos has left you emotionally fried, you’re not alone, and you don’t have to figure it all out on your own.

That’s exactly what I’m here for. I offer ADHD parent coaching for mums and carers who are craving connection, understanding, and practical tools for managing this wild ride. Ill strap myself in the roller coaster cart with you!

📅 Book a free 15-minute chat here: https://www.sladhdparentcoach.com.au/book-online

Let’s talk it out! no pressure, no perfection, just real conversation with a fellow ADHD parent who knows what it’s like. Because surviving the roller coaster is easier when someone’s riding it with you.

Much Love

Shenae x