I was at the PDA North America conference a few weeks ago, where I ran breakout groups on being an adult with PDA (see my previous post Adulting with PDA). I heard themes in the questions we received:
What specifically can we do to support the independence of our PDA child?
How do I hold a job as a PDA adult?
How can a PDA kid function inside the school system?
I had lots of things to say about all of these topics and more, but I rarely had solutions. I personally have the same struggles as the PDA kiddos and adults we’re trying to support at PDA North America. So I don’t really have answers so much as anecdotes. Tales from the trenches, where things are messy.
And honestly I’m ashamed of how messy it is being me in this world. I’m constantly working on having my shit together just a bit more, in order to feel worthy of the success I envision. I think to myself, as soon as I’ve got this more figured out, I can tell others how I’ve figured it out. And then I’ll be adding value.
But my experience being PDA has never had clean answers. It’s been a real slog at times. I’ve gone through horrendous depression, deep embarrassment, genuine confusion, crippling anxiety, fight or flight panic, and so much more. And I still go through all of the above on a regular basis.
And while the PDA kiddos of today are getting much better support from much more informed parents, it will likely still be messy for these PDA folks too.
So today I’m starting a series of posts that go into more of the messy details of things I’m currently working on in my life. My intention is to build a sense of safety and success in being authentic, and hopefully to help others feel seen in the process.
This will be mainly for paid subscribers, who I’m hoping are here to drop in with me more deeply.
Looking for to this. It must be really hard