Robyn Wilder
Freelance Journalist
Robyn Wilder
Freelance Journalist
I was diagnosed with ADHD (inattentive type) only last year, at the age of 43. My life can be split into two parts: before and after diagnosis. Before diagnosis, freelancing seemed like a great idea – working at my own pace, seeing lots of my children. But soon I was drowning – overwhelmed by the constant moving parts that are running your own business and two small, needy children, failing at every part of it (invoicing for the wrong amount at work; getting the date of the start of nursery wrong with my kids), and locked in an intense battle of self-hatred.
Post-diagnosis I am medicated, developing strategies that work with my type of brain, outsourcing (or seeking help to set up systems for) all the stuff I can’t do – accounts, organising the house, etc – and learning not to feel guilty about that. This is also slowly freeing me up to focus all the stuff I am good at – writing, being a creative, nurturing parent, and having fun.
I’d been The Pool’s parenting columnist since 2017, and recently I launched a weekly parenting newsletter that goes out early on Saturday mornings. It’s funny, it features interviews with parents doing slightly unusual things, and recipes you can cook while kids are knocking around your ankles, product roundups and reviews, but also funny memes from the internet, interesting articles, and things that aren’t solely to do with parenting. Basically it’s a funny, wise friend to keep you company through the night feeds or when you’re hiding in the loo from the children. And it comes with its own hilarious monthly podcast, too!
