Mighty Oaks Counseling, PLLC

Have you ever tried to reason with your child in the middle of a meltdown? You calmly explain why they can't have what they want. You remind them of the rule. You offer a perfectly reasonable solution. You explain what will happen if they don't cooperate. And somehow…they become even more upset. You may find yourself thinking: “Why won't they listen?” “I've explained this a hundred times.” “They know better than this.” The problem may not be that your child doesn't understand

Your child slams the door. Your preschooler falls apart because you cut the sandwich “wrong.” Your elementary-aged child comes home from school and immediately starts picking a fight with everyone in the house. Your teenager answers every question with “I don't know” and disappears into their room. And you find yourself thinking: What is going on? Sometimes, the behavior itself becomes the focus. We want the yelling to stop. We want the arguing to stop. We want the tantrum to

“They know better.” “They’re doing this on purpose.” “She is just being difficult.” “He is trying to push my buttons.” If you've ever had one of these thoughts during a difficult parenting moment, you're not a bad parent. You've probably just reached your limit. When a child is screaming because you said no, refusing to get dressed, melting down over something that seems incredibly small, or arguing about every single thing, it can be really hard to see beyond the behavior. E

"I took my daughter in for an ADHD evaluation…and somewhere along the way, I realized they were describing me, too." It's a story many mothers tell. What begins as a search for answers for their child often becomes a journey of self-discovery. Suddenly, childhood memories begin making sense. The forgotten homework. The constant feeling of being overwhelmed. The emotional ups and downs. The endless effort to stay organized while everyone else seemed to do it naturally. For man

There is a lot of noise in parenting. Not just the actual noise—although there is certainly plenty of that. There are the notifications, the school emails, the group texts, the podcasts, the parenting advice, the activity schedules, the sports practices, the homework, the birthday parties, the screen-time debates, the social media posts telling us what we should be doing differently… And then there is the noise inside our own heads. Am I doing enough? Should I be more consist

"She’s always been this way…forgetful, scattered, overwhelmed easily, but also incredibly capable when it matters most." Many adult daughters begin noticing a pattern like this when they start learning about ADHD in themselves or their children. And then something shifts. They start seeing their mother—or grandmother—differently. Not as careless. Not as disorganized. But as someone who may have spent a lifetime compensating for undiagnosed ADHD in a world that never understoo

"I love her deeply…so why does it sometimes feel like we’re stuck in the same patterns over and over again?" Many partners of women with ADHD ask some version of this question. Not because the relationship lacks love. But because ADHD can quietly shape the rhythm of daily life in ways that feel confusing, inconsistent, or emotionally charged for both people. What looks like forgetfulness may actually be executive functioning overload. What feels like withdrawal may actually b

"I thought my ADHD was under control…until suddenly it wasn't." Many women describe this feeling at different stages of life. Perhaps it happened during puberty. Maybe after having a baby. Or during the years leading up to menopause, when familiar coping strategies suddenly seemed to stop working. For years, ADHD research focused primarily on boys and men. As a result, many women were left wondering why their symptoms seemed to change over time. We're finally beginning to und

"If I had known then what I know now, I would have parented differently." It's something I hear from parents all the time after their daughter is diagnosed with ADHD. Not because they didn't love her. Not because they weren't trying. But because they were responding to behaviors they could see without understanding what was happening beneath the surface. They saw forgotten homework. Messy bedrooms. Emotional outbursts. Lost jackets. Incomplete chores. What they couldn't see w

"She's so smart…if she would just apply herself." It's a phrase many girls with ADHD hear throughout childhood. Teachers say it. Parents wonder it. Eventually, girls begin saying it to themselves. "If I'm really smart, why can't I remember my homework?" "Why can I write an amazing essay but forget to turn it in?" "Why does everyone else seem to keep up so much more easily?" For many girls, these questions become part of their identity long before anyone considers ADHD. The tr

"I've always felt like everyone else got a friendship handbook that I somehow missed." It's a sentence I hear often from girls and women with ADHD. Many can tell you exactly when they began feeling different. Maybe it was elementary school when friendships suddenly became more complicated. Maybe it was middle school, when social groups became less forgiving. Or maybe it wasn't until adulthood, when maintaining friendships started to feel overwhelming. While ADHD is often asso

"I can handle forgetting my keys. What I can't handle is feeling like every emotion is turned up to full volume." When most people think about ADHD, they think about distractibility. They picture someone who loses their phone, forgets appointments, interrupts conversations, or struggles to finish projects. What they don't see is what many girls and women experience internally every single day. The overwhelming emotions. The intense self-doubt. The shame that lingers after a s

If you picture ADHD, what comes to mind? For many people, it's a young boy who can't sit still, blurts out answers, or seems constantly in motion. But ADHD often looks very different in girls. Many girls with ADHD aren't disruptive. They're quiet. Responsible. High-achieving. They're the ones who spend hours rewriting homework, cry over getting a B, or stay up until midnight trying to make everything "just right." Instead of appearing inattentive, they often become perfection

For many years, ADHD was thought of as something that primarily affected young boys—children who couldn't sit still, blurted out answers, and had endless energy. As a result, countless girls grew up believing they were simply "too emotional," "too sensitive," "too talkative," "too messy," or "not trying hard enough." Today, we know better. ADHD in girls and women often looks different than the stereotypes we've been taught. Instead of outward hyperactivity, many girls experie

Music has always helped us make sense of our emotions. Sometimes a song gives words to feelings we've struggled to describe ourselves. That may be one reason so many people connect with Taylor Swift's music—her lyrics often capture experiences like heartbreak, anxiety, self-doubt, healing, hope, and resilience. As a therapist, I often encourage clients to notice the music they return to. Not because a song can diagnose us, but because it can help us identify emotions, increas

Every March, Women’s History Month invites us to pause and reflect on the courage, brilliance, and resilience of women who have shaped our communities, our nations, and our world. It is a time not only to celebrate well-known trailblazers, but also to honor the countless women — named and unnamed — whose leadership, sacrifice, creativity, and service have often gone unrecognized. Women’s History Month reminds us that history is richer and more complete when every voice is hea

"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest man" - Roald Dahl, "Charlie In The Great Glass Elevator" Before becoming a mom of a child with food allergies , I am not sure I thought about offering options (besides candy without peanuts) for children and adults with food allergies. When we started attending parties or events without safe options, I began making sure we always had a safe food. I bake cupcakes. keep them in the freezer, then pop one out for birthday

Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 to October 15, to honor the independence anniversaries of several Latin/South American countries including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Chile. Latin American culture is interwoven into our everyday lives, mostly seen in our language, including words like canyon, tornado, mosquito, patio, plaza, and barbecue; geographical names, including Florida, California, San Antonio, Santa Fe, Los Angel

Photo of the Mystic sign, with 27 green bulbs in the "M" to honor the 27 lost girls. Each night, the husband of the camp nurse drives up...

This blog post is intended for the girls and families affected by the tragedy at Camp Mystic, but please share with others affected. This...