Day #200

Not sure why it struck me to make this particular image the picture for the day but, hey, this whole blog is about my life being a single mom of autism and this is a good case in point. This is what my shower looks like at this very moment, I didn't have enough quarters to dry only to wash a batch of laundry so this is how I am drying them. I would guess a lot of people wouldn't have even washed them let alone hang everything to dry but I was raised differently. I am lucky to have grown up with such a strong mother who taught me ingenious survival skills. I am a DIY-I-will-fix-it-myself-do-it-on-my-own kind of person who has a hard time letting others help, but I have learned that I cannot do everything all the time. I am slowly getting the idea that it is okay to do things for myself. It has taken me a while to realize I can put off the girls demands long enough to pee first. That I can sit down and eat a meal even though the house is in shambles. That I can leave the sink full of dirty dishes to another time if I would rather spend time cuddling with the girls or doing homework instead. Limited time and resources makes a person crafty in the ways of scheduling their time and I must say I am becoming a master. That makes me rigid in a way I guess, I don't cope well with spontaneity! If it isn't on my calendar or in the routine it most likely will have to be penciled in for another day. I automatically erect a "NO" wall when it comes to pop up plans, but I am learning to see the possibility in spontaneity at the same time as I am building a support system. So my final thought is: a single mother of autism, or typically developing children for that matter, are only as good as their support system. Without supportive friends and/or family, or trusted individuals for respite life would be unbearable. No matter how much you love your children, and my girls are my world, you always need "ME" time, I am speaking to myself here as well! :D