I’ve been doing the Autism Parenting thing over a decade now. While I’m no expert, I’m extremely experienced in at least my kids. There are so many things I’ve learned along the way and there’s one thing in particular I’d like to share.
Being an Autism parent is among the challenging things that any human can be faced with. I know all parenting is challenging but Autism Parenting is in a universe all its own.
If there’s one thing that I’ve learned along the way it’s that Autism parents, no matter how strong, are still human at the end of the day. It’s all too common and normal to feel scared, heartbroken, overwhelmed, anxious, frustrated, angry, resentful, exhausted and completely drained of life.
It’s also very normal to have an overwhelming urge to quit or run away. It’s called self-preservation and that’s very human as well.
There are plenty of people who will deny ever feeling these things. I’m not sure I’m buying what they’re selling. Sure, it’s possible that they’ve never felt those emotions in regards to their kids with Autism but I think it’s more likely that they feel an enormous sense of guilt for feeling those things and therefore deny feeling anything goes like that at all.
How do I know this? The simple answer is because I used to do the exact same thing.
I’ve learned so much about myself over the years that I have no issues admitting things like this to myself or anyone else.
The truth is, just because you experience some/all of these emotions or feelings, doesn’t make you a bad parent. It certainly doesn’t make you weak and most importantly, it doesn’t mean you somehow don’t love your child with Autism.
What it does mean however, is that you aren’t a robot without limits.
You’re a human being with very real limitations, taking on a job that often requires super human strength, patience, fortitude and perseverance. It also requires you to function 24/7/365 at 110% while severely and chronically sleep deprived.
Cut yourself some slack… Pat yourself on the back, pick your ass up and keep moving forward. ☺
Remember that there are places filled with people who get it and are always willing to listen. If you’re reading this, the good news is that you’ve found one such places and someone who’s always willing to listen.
The are plenty of times I can make arrangements to speak with you over the phone, Skype or Google hangouts. I can’t fix anything and I don’t usually like dishing out advice in certain situations but I can certainly listen without judgement and remind you that you are not alone.
If you find that you are concerned about the feelings or emotions you are experiencing, get help ASAP. If you feel that hurting your child, for whatever reason, begins to make sense, get help ASAP. I just feel it’s important to mention this….
This site is managed almost exclusively from my Samsung Galaxy Note 5. Please forgive any typos as auto-correct HATES me. 😉
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