Frustrations!

I need to start this entry by affirming to you that I do indeed LOVE my children, but there are times when I am ready to simply pack it all in and run away. How can these fabulous people drive me so insane???

I sat with one of my good friends yesterday (Gayley) and we both lamented about the complicated relationship we have with our kids and how it is STILL so complicated even though our kids are older. Surely it is supposed to get easier at some point???

No, it doesn't get easier - it just changes and the challenges evolve. And we also had to change and evolve to even have a chance to keep up. Sigh....it gets tiring. But that's where good friends come into the picture.

Most of my friends are involved in Autism in some way or another - most are parents but I also have a smattering of various professionals. All are wonderful sources of strength and support - the hardest lesson I had to learn was to actually ask for help. I still seem to forget sometimes that I have people to learn on. I let the feeling of "being alone" take over my life. And I suffer and so do my kids. Thankfully, I somehow crawl out of that place and start to talk to my friends and, without exception, they help me find my way back. And that's where I am today - crawling out of my hole, trying to breathe and relax and enjoy my children again.

Tomorrow will be a better day - how many times have I said that to myself? Actually, I have the following quote pinned to the wall by my bed (i just need to read it more often) -

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says "I will try again tomorrow" .

Take the time to attend as many parent support meetings as you can, and reach out to people at those meetings. Introduce yourself - if you're too shy then privately ask the meeting leader to introduce you to people who might have similar situations. Believe me, this is no time to sit back and just observe! Get out there and talk to people. I have found that by approaching people to ask for help I have been rewarded. People truly want to help, they just don't always know how and if you can help them with the how you will be amazed at the positive response you will get. And you may even find a friend!