As an Autism parent for almost sixteen years, I can say that it's a stressful job. I've often said that it's 25/8/366 because of the nature of Autism.  I want to take a minute and share why it's so important for me to take time to myself. For starters, I know that it's not always easy to physically remove myself from the equation because life has a way of making it so I'm always putting out fires. Plus, finding a sitter for three kids with Autism isn't an easy task.  None of the challenges associated with taking time for myself, negate the importance of it.  As someone who lives in a constant state of hypervigilance, I often feel like I'm on the brink of insanity. There's so much that goes…

At the advice of one of my readers, who suggested providing more insight into the how's and why's of our life, I thought I would take that advice and begin with a decision we often struggle with, every single morning.  I want to take a few minutes and explain what goes into deciding whether or not we keep Emmett home from school. This may seem like a weird topic but I know many parents in my situation, likely struggle with the same thing.  Emmett is our youngest of three with Autism, at eight years of age.  He's profoundly impacted by sensory processing disorder. He struggles with things coming into contact with his skin. Wearing clothes, shoes, socks or anything else can be very, very uncomfortable for him. In fact, it…