It is said that autism mom’s have stress similar to that of a combat soldier. You can read the article here http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2009/11/10/autism-moms-stress/6121/. and further study on the subject here http://aging.wisc.edu/research/affil.php?Ident=60 . Well considering I am married to a combat soldier and have several children on the spectrum I would imagine it is a safe bet to say my stress levels are probably through the roof. I thought it would be fun to see just how similar us autism moms are to combat soldiers and show my husband that I might be able to do his job. ;-)
- We are used to working on little to no sleep for long periods of time.
- Once our kids are sleeping we deploy stealth like tactics to navigate around our own houses
- We are both proficient in the use of acronyms and abbreviations
- We have the ability to tune out everything but still hear everything.
- We are proficient in hand to hand combat and can disarm our opponent in seconds
- We are used to dangerous objects being aimed with great accuracy or sheer luck at our head and or body.
- We are capable of carrying on even after being injured on the job ( see last point)
- We know all about the hurry up to wait process it’s now just a fact of life for us.
- We have signed our name on so many government documents that we have lost track and are capable of reciting long numbers on cue.
- We are capable of being packed and out the door with almost no notice ( if that specialist you’ve been waiting to see for a year calls with a cancellation )
- We have been conditioned in the art of not panicking and being able to remain calm under duress or at least faking it till we can find a safe spot to curse, cry and drink in no particular order.
- We are professionals in the art of reconnaissance and scoping out enemy territory, and quite often make social stories around this topic that are repeated over and over and over again.
- We are constantly on the look out for threats or things that may cause an explosion.
- We are prepared to take action at the first signs of danger or threat to safety, and often times surprise ourselves on just how quick we can react when need be.
And last but not least
- Both of our jobs are extremely stressful, but also extremely rewarding.
There is no way around it being the mother of a special needs child is stressful, from maintaining schedules and keeping up with therapy and specialist appointments to the day to day stress of raising a child with autism, but we do it, because we have to, we have no choice, they are our children and though stressful and challenging it is also rewarding and we love them unconditionally. Stay tuned for part two of this article on how to deal with the stresses of being the mother to a special needs child coming in the next few days.
***** Disclaimer---Yes I know that being a combat soldier and the mother to a child with autism are totally not the same thing so before anyone sends me hate mail let me just say I respect our soldiers and stand behind them 100%, I can not even imagine the things that they must go through and as I am the wife to a combat soldier I can say that I know how hard my husband works I see how much these soldiers sacrifice being away from loved ones for long periods of time, training in less than desirable conditions and going to places that no one else wants to be near. I support our troops and would not want to do their job, unless of course they changed the uniforms to a pretty pink and added a bit of lace and jewels then maybe.... ;-)
That’s me for today living life one puzzle piece at a time and loving my combat soldier while dealing with the stresses on the home front.
J.
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