Early in our marriage my husband and I decided to take dance lessons (two-step, etc.) at a local well-know dance hall near where we lived in College Station, TX. It was pretty much a disaster and we did not complete the entire series. I could not remember or at least execute the steps either at the necessary speed or with the proper rhythm and consistency. He had his own difficulties and we disagreed over leading. I said he needed to be a “strong lead” and he said I needed to stop leading. Ultimately, dancing has not been a satisfying experience during our marriage and we almost never do.
Well, when you have a marriage with one partner with ADHD the other partner has a lot to deal with. When you do not know that one partner has ADHD then it can often add stressors to a good marriage. The non-ADHD partner may be the one wondering why his or her spouse can not remember the simplest things and just tires of being something of a support system. That spouse may be the one who keeps things organized, remembers appointments, checks doors, stoves, lights, keys and pays the bills. Chapters of books and entire book exist on the subject. Now, imagine a situation that no books seem to discuss but that does occur. Both partners have ADHD.
That is our situation. It was Matthew’s diagnosis that caused me to read about ADHD and consult the therapist. He is considering returning to graduate school but had a previous unsatisfactory experience. We decided it would be helpful in the decision process to consult our local Witchdoctor and talk about the issues of concern. Within two sessions she realized he is ADD (that is he does not have the hyperactive part ) and tends to hyperfocus on certain tasks and gets mired in the details. So, life where two marriage partners have ADHD.
In our case it is a plus and minus situation. We each learned to deal with some of the traits of the other over the years but can be annoyed by other traits. We also have learned to cut ourselves some slack. Remember that for 18 years we did not know that we have ADD / ADHD. We know now and we are talking and learning about our similarities and differences in the way ADHD affects us. I continue to search for books or articles addressing the topic of a two-ADHD marriage. Meanwhile, we spend time learning how to help each other and to understand each others behaviors. It is a work in progress.
Will we try dance lessons again after our meds are stabilized and we can focus a bit better? Probably not, but we might take a turn on the floor at a new years or anniversary outing. 1
- I could not tolerate that title lest someone think I do not know what poor grammar it is. ↩