Well, my son & I are at odds once again. Dealing with a teen & their hormones is enough to frustrate any parent, but add in the Asperger's issue. Not fun, that's for sure. Today the Attitude kicked in big time. It's so hard for him at times to deal with even the littlest adjustments & when his parents want him to make one.... He's not a happy camper, I'll say that. Tonight we are at odds over "rights" & "privileges". Sometimes I have to stop & think about things when he's reacting. Is it hormones or Asperger's; it's difficult to know at times. Either way, he has to learn that life is not always exactly as you want it, there has to be some flexibility. Get that message through to any child on the Autism Spectrum. Definitely not an easy task.
As a parent I believe my job is to train my children to be independent & think for themselves. This is how they will hopefully grow up to become productive adults functioning in this crazy world we live in. When our son was diagnosed, a fear set in for his future. Things are still not clear even though we have made great strides. He does very well in his courses as long as we stay on top of his assignments. We make sure he finishes them & turns them in to his teachers. When issues happen like today I wonder more than ever about his future. We are a family strong in our Faith & I know that God loves him even more than I do. God will always be there, even when I cannot. I am very thankful for that, for it does give me hope.
How do you help a child who sees things so very clearly, to see the gray? How do you help someone learn to be flexible? To understand that we live in a very privileged society, but just because we do doesn't mean we have a right to everything around us. He is not in charge of things & needs to show respect to his parents. That is a very tall order for an Aspie, but a necessary one. He needs to understand this if he's ever going to hold a job as an adult. He will have a boss to listen to & co-workers to deal with. I pray that someday he will understand why his father & I made some of the choices for him that we have made. He's a great kid & we hope to see him become a great man.