For parents of ADHD teens, it's important to help your teenager with ADHD learn life skills such as cooking, money management, and daily planning so he/she can succeed at independent living.

Parents spend so much time worrying about their teenager's grade point average, preparation for the SAT's, keeping up with athletic practices, school events, and battles over curfew, it's all too easy to overlook the increasingly complicated set of skills that a teenager needs to learn before he can succeed at independent living, whether it's away at college or in his or her first apartment.

Until just a few short generations ago, life lessons were taught on a daily basis starting at a very young age. Daughters worked by their mothers' sides - learning cooking skills, child-care skills, home-making skills, and needlework, and sons worked side-by-side with fathers, or were apprenticed to someone who taught them skills over many years. In addition, life was much simpler. Choices were fewer and young adults typically lived at home until marriage, and then only moved a short distance away.

Today, teenagers don't have the opportunity to learn their parents' work by watching. Many teens can barely describe their parents' daily life at work. Parents are more likely to emphasize sports skills and academics while ignoring basic life management skills. Often, however, when a teen moves away from home for the first time, the largest factor that determines success is their ability to handle the practicalities of their daily life. Here are some ways to prepare your son or daughter with ADD (ADHD) for a successful shift to independent living.

Middle School Years

Even young teenagers can begin learning the basics of these important life management skills. Middle school years are not too young. Many parents feel that their middle or high school student is overburdened with so much that they don't want to place any more demands on them. The confidence and knowledge that he can take care of himself is important to all teens and can only be gained through practice.

Middle schoolers can take at least partial responsibility for their own laundry. While parents may bail out a middle schooler if she has an exam the next day, or if he is late due to a school activity, these are good years for them to learn that clean clothes don't magically appear in their rooms.

One excellent way to help a middle schooler learn money management skills is to give them a set monthly clothing allowance. They'll need to do some long-term planning - for example saving enough money from the September and October allowance to purchase a new winter jacket as cold weather arrives. Young teens can become excellent bargain hunters when it's "their" money that's being spent.

These are good years for some time management responsibilities to be gradually turned over to your young teen - helping him learn to set an alarm at night and wake on his own in the morning. He or she should begin wearing a watch and becoming more responsible for being aware of the time.

The "battle of the bedroom" is often prolonged during the teen years. Teens may not need or want to keep their rooms neat, but do need to engage in a regular "dig out" - perhaps on a weekly basis.

Middle school years are also a good time for a young teen to begin carrying a wallet, backpack, or purse every day. They can learn to keep track of their personal ID and their weekly allowance. Keeping track of house keys is also an excellent skill to work on during these years.

High School Years

Automobile driving, maintenance, handling emergencies

Once a teen has his or her driver's license, suddenly they are at the wheel of a very expensive, potentially lethal machine. Minor, innocent mistakes can cost parents hundreds of dollars in insurance costs and deductibles.

Safe driving The first and foremost concern is safe driving - always wearing a seat belt, not exceeding the speed limit, and never driving after drinking.

Car Maintenance One parent recalls with chagrin that he neglected to explain the meaning of "that little red light" on the car's dashboard until after his daughter drove home from the beach, ignoring that little light until the engine started smoking a few miles from home!

Emergency breakdowns And even if we're not concerned about danger to the vehicle, teens need to learn how to handle emergencies - what to do if the car breaks down miles from home, what to do late at night in the dark.

Money Management

In a few short years, teens need to move from thinking of money as a means of immediate gratification - for pizza, clothing, or entertainment - to learning how to plan, budget, and pay bills.

Spending wisely - Cell phone bills can skyrocket without careful planning, and parking and speeding tickets can overwhelm a student's budget in the blink of an eye.

Handling Credit - Credit cards are hard to resist as they are almost forced on unsuspecting college freshmen in their welcome packet.