Ds 11 (ASD but currently undiagnosed) is hard work . Extremely hard work. I don’t know what’s shifted recently with me but I feel like I have no patience left. I feel guilty but I feel like all I do is snap at him.
Examples are , I have to ask him multiple times to do something simple (he will ‘forget’ or cry), his diet is even more restricted now and we have years over mealtimes where he’s refusing foods. Doesn’t do any homework. Gave up his football club and gave up cricket club, just stopped wanting to go and cried and cried and refused.
If I ask him to tidy away his Lego he cries and cries. If I tell him when it’s time to brush teeth or wash or get changed or go to bed he cries and refuses.
Ive tried to make time to spend more time with him sled him what he would like to do but whatever we pick within minutes he’s crying again. He’s started pushing his siblings around a bit and I’ve put a firm stop to that but that makes me feel like I’m just constantly telling him to stop doing things and it’s draining. He will get up in the night and wake us for the slightest thing , too hot, too cold, thirsty (when he has a glass of water in his room ! ).
Im so exhausted by it and I feel bad as it’s just a cycle of me telling him to stop and I’d like to try to do more positive parenting and get things to be a bit nicer at home and less stressful