Backpacking Through ADHD

Backpacking Through ADHD 🎒 Adventures with ADHD
🧭 Raw, real, and sometimes chaotic
💪 Weekly episodes - 🚀
✨ Because we're in this together
https://linktr.ee/backpackingthroughadhd

Backpacking Through ADHD is more than a podcast—it’s a community for parents, caregivers, and anyone navigating the unique journey of ADHD. Here, we share stories, strategies, and expert advice to help you tackle the peaks, valleys, and unexpected turns of ADHD parenting. Whether you’re just starting or well into your journey, our episodes provide practical tools, heartfelt stories, and camaraderie to help make the path a little easier. Join us as we explore the wilderness of ADHD together, building resilience and finding joy in every step of the adventure.

The moment is over, but a child might still be thinking about what they said, how they reacted, and what they wish they ...
10/12/2026

The moment is over, but a child might still be thinking about what they said, how they reacted, and what they wish they had done differently.

With ADHD, struggling to pause before reacting doesn't automatically mean a child doesn't care about the impact of their actions.

We can hold children accountable while also helping them understand their reactions and learn what to do next.

Understanding the behavior is not the same as excusing it. It's how we begin to teach a better way forward.

When a child says, “I'm just bad at this,” it's easy to focus on the struggle itself.But what if we got curious about wh...
10/11/2026

When a child says, “I'm just bad at this,” it's easy to focus on the struggle itself.

But what if we got curious about what their brain is trying to tell them?
Maybe they're tired. Hungry. Overwhelmed. Maybe they need to move.

Helping children notice those signals doesn't remove accountability or make the challenges disappear. It gives them a way to understand themselves instead of turning every struggle into a judgment about who they are.

From Episode 41, Rising Above Labels: Defying Gravity with ADHD.

Shame can make ADHD struggles feel like proof that something is wrong with us.Curiosity gives us another question to ask...
10/09/2026

Shame can make ADHD struggles feel like proof that something is wrong with us.

Curiosity gives us another question to ask: “What's really going on in my brain right now?”
That shift doesn't make the weight disappear. It gives us another way to move through it.
“If shame is gravity, then curiosity is lift.”

From Episode 41, Rising Above Labels: Defying Gravity with ADHD.

Sometimes, being highly organized, disciplined, or driven can become a way of compensating for years of being told you'r...
10/07/2026

Sometimes, being highly organized, disciplined, or driven can become a way of compensating for years of being told you're too distracted, too emotional, or not consistent enough.

But achievement doesn't erase ADHD. And understanding your diagnosis doesn't automatically erase the labels you've carried with you.

Part of the work is learning to see yourself beyond those labels and finding a way to work with your brain instead of constantly trying to prove it wrong.

From Episode 41, Rising Above Labels: Defying Gravity with ADHD.

“Too emotional.” “Too loud.” “Too talkative.” “Too much.”When we hear these words often enough, they can become part of ...
10/05/2026

“Too emotional.”
“Too loud.”
“Too talkative.”
“Too much.”

When we hear these words often enough, they can become part of the way we see ourselves.

But a label isn't the whole story.

What would change if you gave yourself permission to reconsider one you've been carrying for years?

From Episode 41, Rising Above Labels: Defying Gravity with ADHD.

Sometimes the thing that happens after school isn't really about the thing that just happened.A child may have spent the...
10/02/2026

Sometimes the thing that happens after school isn't really about the thing that just happened.

A child may have spent the entire day managing noise, transitions, teacher directions, social dynamics, sensory input, and expectations while trying to keep up and hold everything together.

By the time they get home, their system may already be carrying far more than we can see.

Understanding that doesn't mean excusing every behavior. It means looking at the whole day instead of judging the final reaction in isolation.

Before asking, “Why are you acting like this?”, it can help to wonder, “What has your child been carrying all day?”

When a child is angry, the anger is usually the part we notice first.But sometimes it's covering something else: embarra...
09/28/2026

When a child is angry, the anger is usually the part we notice first.
But sometimes it's covering something else: embarrassment, disappointment, feeling left out, feeling misunderstood, or feeling singled out.

That doesn't mean the behavior doesn't matter. It means there's more to understand before we decide what the behavior means.

A useful question isn't only “Why did you react like that?” but also “What happened before you reacted?”

Sometimes understanding what's underneath the anger gives a child something they can actually learn to recognize and communicate next time.

Kids don't always have the language to explain what they're feeling, especially when the feeling is already intense.“I d...
09/25/2026

Kids don't always have the language to explain what they're feeling, especially when the feeling is already intense.

“I don't know” doesn't necessarily mean they aren't aware of what's happening. Sometimes the feeling simply moves faster than the words.

That's why phrases like “I feel stormy,” “my brain feels foggy,” or “today was mixed” can be useful starting points.

Tara also explores the importance of noticing what's happening in the body, not just trying to explain everything through thoughts.

The goal isn't perfect emotional vocabulary. It's helping a child notice what's happening inside and know that they can talk about it without shame.

For some kids with ADHD, fairness can carry a lot of emotional weight.So when a child says, “That's not fair,” they may ...
09/21/2026

For some kids with ADHD, fairness can carry a lot of emotional weight.

So when a child says, “That's not fair,” they may not simply be arguing about a rule. They may be trying to communicate that they feel hurt, confused, singled out, or unseen.

Understanding what was underneath the reaction created a better place to start. Sometimes the most useful question is: “What did this moment mean to you?”

Sometimes a child knows that something feels different but doesn't know how to explain it.That’s where the idea of emoti...
09/17/2026

Sometimes a child knows that something feels different but doesn't know how to explain it.

That’s where the idea of emotional “weather” can help. Instead of asking a child to identify the exact feeling, you can give them a simpler way to describe what’s happening: sunny, foggy, windy, rainy, stormy, cloudy, or mixed.

The goal isn't to get the label perfectly right. It's to help kids notice what’s happening inside them and begin putting words to it without feeling like they're being tested.
Try asking: “What was your weather today?”

You might be surprised by what they tell you.

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