You asked: “Should I feel guilty for needing a break from my #autistic kid?”

I’ve lived in the autism world for almost forty years with my oldest son, who still lives with us. And to any parent out there, as Rob stated, you always have to remember that you are first and foremost a human being. We are not set up to be paragons of virtue. It is very hard meeting the numerous challenges, with so many obstacles for both you and your child to overcome. And some parents have more obstacles to deal with than others. You have to understand that there is absolutely no guilt whatsoever in needing a break from your kids and from them needing a break from you at times. As a parent of autistic children or adults you need the space and me time to recharge your batteries because you are expending a monumental amount of energy doing all the second by second, minute by minute, day by day things you have to do for your child’s welfare that requires so much more effort and fortitude than what parents of non special needs children have to deal with and accomplish on a daily basis. Parenting is hard job that comes without a manual for any parent. But for parents of special need kids, it is so much more involved and requires almost superhuman effort just to hope that you are making the right choices and doing the best you can for your special needs children or family member.