Fatherhood, Photography, and ADHD: A Wild Ride

Let’s get this out of the way: I’m a dad, a photographer, and I have ADHD. The apple didn’t just fall from the tree—it rolled into chaos, sprouted wings, and flew off. But hey, that’s life, right?

This summer, my oldest son Jonas turned 15, which meant it was time for him to get a job. I figured the best way to teach him about work—and about handling ADHD—was to bring him along on my gigs. Two birds, one camera.

Now, let me tell you, I once tried the whole corporate cubicle thing. Big mistake. Sitting still all day? Torture. I started taking “bathroom breaks” just to move around, which my boss didn’t love. Meanwhile, the smokers took ten breaks a day, so I joined them—without a cigarette—just to breathe some fresh air… well, secondhand fresh air. Thankfully, photography saved me, and I’ve been thriving ever since.

Back to Jonas. I had all these visions of us bonding over basketball, music, and spicy food. Turns out, my guy hates sports, thinks my playlists are cringe, and runs from anything remotely spicy. But we do share a love of history and storytelling, so there’s that.

When I took him to work, it started off rocky. At one job, he literally fell asleep on a public couch. A client asked if my “co-worker” had a rough night. I thought, “This is a disaster.” But instead of giving up, I handed him a camera and told him to go create. And boy, did he deliver.

At just 15, Jonas is already better than I was at his age. I took him to a cooking competition, and he nailed every shot—finding angles I didn’t even think of. He wasn’t copying me; he was carving out his own style. Watching him grow as a photographer made me prouder than I can put into words.

Photography saved me—it’s let me travel, meet incredible people, and work in ways that actually fit my ADHD brain. Now I hope Jonas can find his own path, whether it’s in photography or somewhere else. Either way, I’ll always have his back… just as long as he stays off public couches.