A boy has been pushed to the brink of despair by his inattentive, hyperactive and disruptive mother. 5-year-old Sam White has experienced second-rate child care, resulting from her chronic attention deficit disorder. His mother's behaviour has been characterised by her difficulties managing stress and her careless mistakes when packing his school bag.

"She finds it hard to complete the household chores efficiently, and she becomes easily distracted," said Sam, after detecting a grubby kitchen floor. "I always see her fiddling with that bloody mobile phone. She misses the details when tidying my room and can rarely find my toys. And when we play games, she struggles to wait her turn. But that might be the wine."

Doctors warn that young parents, who have difficulty sustaining focus at Parent's evening, are likely to suffer from the brain disorder. Other symptoms include poor time management in preparing a child's packed lunch and the failure to meet school project deadlines.

"She has trouble focusing attention on my homework," concluded Sam, before reprimanding his mother for fidgeting. "She always seems distant and bored. Dad and I cannot do EVERYTHING. We need help."