About SuperADDMom

Ril Giles, AKA SuperADDMom is the Director of the Nurtured Mother Alliance of Canada and writer of the “ADDventures of Motherhood” blog. She is a mom and wife with Adult ADD. Though the effects of ADD have been evident all her life, she was only officially diagnosed in 2005 after the birth of her second child, when hormone changes and extra demands of a second child brought her ADD characteristics more out in the open.

Since her careful diagnosis by a ADHD specalist she has spent a considerable amount of time educating herself about ADD and other neuodiversities. During this time she discovered that she had already spent a large portion of her life compensating and managing her ADD in ways that many ADD coaches suggest and guide others with, and she did them on her own intuitively. Sometimes with great sucess, and sometimes with a great deal or trial and error, heartache and growing pains.

Ril has 9 years background as a Natural Childbirth (& waterbirth), Breastfeeding, Early Infant Care and Attachment Parenting Educator. She is a practising Traditional Herbalist. She apprenticed under elders all her life in her community growing up in Nova Scotia, and has self studied through distance education for the last 5 years. She harvests and uses herbs in her daily living and caring for her family’s health. She is also a trained Birth and Post Partum Doula, and has a certificate for completion of the Triple P Parenting Program Seminar.

Ril has volunteered in her community for The Breastfeeding Network in conjunction with the Public Health Department in her area, and has done talks with local Mom/baby groups on Attachment Parenting, sling wearing, and implementing the CleanHome program, but has recently stopped temporarily due to the demands of raising her children who are “more” at this time.

She has a new passion for natural healthy living and reflexology; things that sprouted as a deep personal interest due to the nature of her own family’s health issues. Still, there should be no misunderstanding, as she is neither for nor against pharmaceutical medications for ADD, or other neuro health issues.  Each case is as individual as the person, and those choices should be made individually, by the person they effect the most.

Ril  worked as a PCP ( personal care provider) with mentally and physically limited people prior to becoming a mother. She has worked one on one with and cared for people with Autism at many stages/degrees from Aspergers to Non Verbal and severe Autistism, Downs Syndrome, Schizophrenia, Mood Disorders, and physical disabilities such as MS, CF/ME, CF, CP, and debilitating arthritis.

Ril is the Founder and Director of The Nurtured Mother Alliance Of
Canada. She is the creator of The CleanHome Program, The CleanBody
Principle, and The CleanLove/Mindful Marriage Philosophy, which she
melding into one program called ADDing Routine, and will be offering to
Adults with ADD, whole families of kids with ADD, and couples where ADD
come into play. ADDing Routine is currently a private program being
used by individuals as Ril works on her book and
workbook with the current users giving feedback and quotes as case
studies.

Ril lives in rural eastern Ontario, Canada with her self proclaimed “only mundane one in the house” husband of 10 years. Together they created and parent two wild, energetic, passionate, artistic, lovable ADD/PDD NOS and CPAD/SPD children.

Just to add to the mix they threw in three budgies, 5 gerbils and a crazy energetic border collie dog, they (mostly) affectionately call ADDDog. (in reference, not what he comes to when called)

Ril is best friend, lover and caregiver to her husband who has debilitating CFS/ME for over 7 years, and is the keeper of the cheerios to her two kids.

She and her husband have been raising the kids on the 8 principles of attachment parenting since the unassisted home water birth of their daughter in 2000, and continued on with the joyful addition of their son in 2005, who was also born at home in water.

They have homeschooled their children since the beginning, believing that life is learning, and schools are no place to truly learn or thrive. Once neurodiversities were discovered with their oldest, homeschooling became an additional excellent reason for homeschooling, as kids with ADD and other neurodiversities learn best with one on one attention and the ability to move about freely while doing so.

Ril is a fellow member of and mentor for support groups for women living with ADD/ADHD and other neurodiversities, as well as mothers who are raising ADD/ADHD children, whether they themselves have the traits or not.

Having ADD (inattentive), CAPD, dyslexia and other learning disabilities herself, Ril understands where people with similar issues are coming from, and as a mother and co parent with her husband of children who  are ” more” she understands the demands of physical ,mental and emotional energy it takes to raise children in a loving environment with as minimal stress as possible.

She’s not a doctor, a therapist, or a spiritual leader with years of university training, but she has 35 years of down in the trenches experience, and a passion for digging deeper with it all, that keeps her learning and involved in self study in these areas.

With that knowledge she teaches others how to make the most of their socially shunned neurodiverse characteristics, showing them how they can find the good and positive within, to be able to work WITH those traits rather then try to deny them and struggle in life unnecessarily, always trying so hard to conform to social rules that don’t always work. It’s not always easy, and she herself has bad days, which she often share in truth and honestly in her blog section of this site in the hopes that others will learn from it as well.

Knowing that ADD is not always a positive thing in society, within our relationships with others, or even within ourselves, especially for adults diagnosed late in life, Ril also acknowledges and mentors about the grieving process people with ADD go through from the lack of “normalcy” ADD keeps them from. The normalcy that they’ve been told to strive for all their lives, if they “just try hard enough.” but never seem capable of reaching.

Though Ril believes to a certain level, a lot of today’s neurological “disorders” are just a social intolerance for being different requiring a label, she does understand that with these traits comes a greater responsibility to learn and sometimes adhere to the social standards a majority of our society expects. Doing this while maintaining personal integrity,  spunk and style can be hard at times, but leaves one feeling more able to adapt to most situations.

Ril’s biggest personal struggles with her own ADD is time management, forgetfulness, and talking too much. In her perfect world, every day would be a Sunday afternoon with no plans, and nothing to do but enjoy chatting up the neighbours with a cool glass of lemonade.

But… it is not a perfect world, so she too, strives to better manage her own ADHD related issues daily as well while enjoying rural living. She loves photography with her husband, gardening, herb growing and harvesting plants from the wild while hiking in the nature with the children.

Ril's Husband- AKA"The Mundane One"