Why ADHD Brains Struggle to Wait (and What It Means for Children)
- silvia palla
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
This week is going to be challenging for me.
I’m travelling next Sunday, and my whole nervous system has already decided that nothing else matters until then.
I’m in what I call waiting mode.
It’s such a strange feeling…Like I could literally just sit and wait for Sunday to arrive.
As if everything else in my life is just background noise.
Even basic things like eating, daily tasks, routines.. they all feel like extra layers on top of the waiting.
And the waiting feels bigger than all of it.
I even made a calendar page and started crossing the days in red, just so I can see time moving.
It helps… a little.
But honestly?
If I could just skip time and wake up on Sunday, I probably would.
A small brain fact:
ADHD brains often struggle with something called time perception and rely more on interest and urgency to stay engaged.
When something important or emotionally significant is coming up, the brain shifts into a kind of anticipation mode.
This can feel intense, almost like your brain has already “arrived” at the future event, leaving the present moment harder to stay in.
Why waiting is so hard for children:
This is also why children, especially neurodivergent ones, struggle so much with waiting.
Their brains are simply not mature enough to hold that kind of emotional weight for long.
And if we’re honest…even as adults, we barely manage it.
So expecting a child to just: “wait nicely” “be patient” “forget about it until later”
…it’s a lot.
For a neurodivergent child, it can feel almost impossible.
The anticipation doesn’t just sit quietly in the background. It takes over.
This is why I always try to support my children by actively filling their time while they wait.
We stay busy.
We shift focus.
We create small moments in between.
Not to distract them completely, but to make the waiting feel lighter.
Reality check:
But then I catch myself.
Because when I look at my own brain this week, I realise something.
Even with all the tools, awareness, and strategies…
This still feels like a mission impossible for an ADHD brain!
And that changes how I see my children.
It softens everything.
Because if I, as an adult, can feel this consumed by waiting, then of course they do too.
It’s not about teaching them to wait better.
It’s about understanding that waiting, for some brains, was never meant to be easy.
Thank you for reading
If this resonated with you, you’re not alone.
Parenting, especially when navigating neurodivergence, often asks us to unlearn what we thought was “normal” and see things through a more compassionate lens.
If you’d like to share your experience, ask a question, or just connect, you can reach me on:
Instagram: @silvia.london89
I’m always here for real conversations💛
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