When my 5-year-old daughter was diagnosed with ADHD [1] (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder), I felt a whirlwind of emotions. While I was relieved to finally have a diagnosis for my child, I was also scared and overwhelmed.

I had so much to learn about, like behaviour modifications, school accommodations, and medications, to name a few. My mother saw how stressed out I was and also how badly I wanted to help my child [2]. The truth of the matter was my mom wanted to help my child just as much as I did — and I love her so much for that.

From her home computer, my mother began researching all she could about her grandchild's ADHD. She emailed me links to great articles she found and printed them out for herself as well. She wanted to understand her grandchild better and be able to help her through any difficulties [3] she faced. It meant so much to me to know that my daughter and I had my mother's help, support, and guidance. My mother has been that way with me my entire life, so I suppose it was no surprise that she'd be the same way with her grandchildren, but it didn't take away from my appreciation and gratitude toward her.

There are a number of aids and tools young children with ADHD can benefit from, like fidget toys, visual timers, and kinesthetic aids. Some of these can be pretty expensive, with many being out of my budget. Thanks to my mother's tremendous generosity though, she has always wanted her grandchild to have the very best. Over the years, she has bought many ADHD tools and aids [4] that my daughter has greatly benefited from — all on her own. I'm so, so grateful.

Out of all of the ways my mother has helped my child with her ADHD, the most important one is how she has loved her unconditionally. When my child becomes overstimulated or overwhelmed [5], resulting in a meltdown, my mother understands that she isn't giving us a hard time. She is having a hard time and needs our help and guidance to get her through these challenges.

She understands that my child's brain works differently and she feels emotions more deeply. She has never once tried to change my child. Instead, she not only accepts my child's differences, she celebrates them. She understands that ADHD can be a challenge for my girl, but she also understands that with time, my daughter is going to learn how to harness her ADHD to create magnificent things [6] in this world. My mother believes that my child's ADHD is a gift, and most of all, my mother believes in my child. I couldn't have asked for more.