My previous post about coping as a mother of a child with Autism probably reads as though I really have my sh*t together, and just to clarify, that is not true all of the time. Generally, for the most part I manage all the different roles and it all goes swimmingly (well, nearly). I am a mother, wife, chef, maid, cleaner, secretary, planner, taxi and all round slave and sometimes you get so lost in all the things you need to do for all of the people you look after, that you forget about yourself. I am always guilty of putting myself bottom of the list, and it is easily done.
Yesterday was one of the most stressful days in a while for me, and they say things happen in 3’s, and that is exactly what happened.
First the car died, the front door got stuck locked (and still is broken!), then the third and final thing was my eldest shutting the youngest fingers in the bathroom door! Then follows a panic driven dash to the urgent care centre, no phone, no shoes for the boy. Luckily he is fine, just very bruised!
As I sit here and write this I am wearing leggings and a faded over-sized t-shirt, no sh*ts are given today. I have, however, brushed my hair and put some foundation on, which is a step in the right direction. The point is, you can spend all the time you like trying to keep up appearances, do all the washing and dishes etc but sometimes, stuff happens and your kids need you more than anything else, and the best bit is, they don’t care whether you have done the washing, brushed your hair or put mascara on.
My life is full of stress and we have many, many bad days but for every crappy day there is tons more good days, and that makes it all worth it.
The tough reality of parenting…
The Scenic Route to Sanity 