Lots of them. I have lower empathy in some situations, so I found it difficult to bond with my son when he was a baby. It took me longer than most people to develop “maternal instinct”. It didn’t come naturally. I never really felt close to my son at first. Babies are noisy and wake you up at night. Having sensory sensitivity, this is a problem. Interrupted sleep and changes in routine are very difficult for me. I often tend to be so wrapped up in what is going on in my head that I forget there is a world around me. This is a problem when you have a child and need to watch out for them and remember to take care of their needs. I have a bad temper and low levels of patience, as do many autistic people. This often stems from sensory or cognitive overload or overstimulation, or when I am engaged in a task or activity and I am interrupted, as it’s hard for me to switch between activities. Children and babies often interrupt you when you are doing something. They can be irritating and distracting. I often got angry and yelled at my son out of frustration when I really didn’t mean to. Then I felt guilty later. My communication and social difficulties make it difficult for me to get my point across to others sometimes. Children rarely take me seriously or see me as an authority figure. I used to get angry at my son when I would tell him to do something and he would just laugh at me or ignore me. He had respect for my mother’s authority, but my verbal communication was not good enough to make him listen to me. It’s a good thing I had so much support from my mother in raising my son, as I have been told by her that I don’t “act like a mother”. I am not sure I could have raised a child on my own without that child developing serious problems.
No comments:
Post a Comment