Mamás have all experienced that moment when they are running late and desperately need everyone to rush out of the house. Nothing is going the right way and everyone is on their own timeline. 

For moms of neurodivergent children with ADHD, they can run into the bouts of time blindness with their children. This makes it difficult to get their attention or get them to complete simple tasks.

But, what exactly is time blindness, and how does understanding it help you reframe the way you parent your little ones?

Understanding time blindness will help you approach situations with more empathy

According to the Cleveland Clinic, time blindness refers to someone’s inability to differentiate the passing of time or understand how long something will take. Everyone can experience the phenomenon of losing track of time, but for those with ADHD, judging the passing of time can be difficult.

On the other hand, Motherly explores time blindness through the lens of a neurotypical mother and her neurodivergent husband and children. She cites how for her, setting an alarm was an easy way for her to get up in the morning so that she was on time. 

One way her husband trained his brain to keep time was baking. He’d wake up and bake scones early to help his wife get the kids ready for school.

Having honest conversations about time blindness with your family can help streamline responsibilities

The mom notes how understanding time blindness allowed her to have honest conversations with her family and truly find out their strengths and weaknesses as they related to time. It also allowed her to show them more empathy because she understood how their brains constructed time uniquely.

Cindy Yoon writes, “​​What is perceived as ‘easy’ by most people is a highly elaborate obstacle course for my family. I recognize all the muscles they are using. The grief of losing seconds, minutes, and hours is something my family goes through every day.” 

“In these moments of loss, I give them permission to forgive themselves. That’s the least I can do when they have forgiven me too. I had been blind for so long, but now I see,” she concludes.