How tired am I? Let me count the ways.

Physically, I’m tired from the early morning wake-ups from the youngest and the late-night conversations with my wife about the kids’ various challenges.

Emotionally, I’m tired from managing melt downs, redirecting perseverations, calming anxieties, and comforting socially unaware kids.

Mentally, I’m tired from attending doctor appointments with my kids and trying to keep track of which child uses which medicine, and the various effects and side effects each one experiences.

Organizationally, I’m tired from trying to figure out how to schedule therapy sessions for the kids and still keep on top of my fifty-hour-a-week job, as well as take care of Katie. And myself.

Motivationally, I’m tired from trying to help the kids who tend toward anxiety to keep moving forward and not give in to their frustrations.

Spiritually, I’m tired from battling dealing with my own bouts of fear, frustration, and anxiety.

Yes, I’m tired. And if I’m tired, just imagine how tired my kids must be. But that’s a different subject for a different post.

An Attitude against Platitudes.

I don’t like to complain because I don’t want sympathy or, worse, pity. But the plain truth is that this autism parenting gig is hard work. There are so many twists and turns to ASD that it’s next to impossible to try to plan for the next challenge. Because every person with autism is mind-bogglingly unique, there is no reliable road map to guide you through the terrain. And because most other ASD parents are worn out traveling their own path, it can be hard to connect with fellow travelers—at least anyone  who has the time and energy to listen. (Thank God for Facebook!)

So if I don’t like to complain, why am I . . . complaining? Because every now and then I like to offer a corrective to the platitudes that special-needs parents can hear. Sayings like:

• I don’t know how you do it.

• God only gives special kids to special people.

• You must be really strong to handle all of this.

• I could never do all that you have to do.

PTSD Parents.

Mind you, these sayings are usually offered in good faith and come from a place of love and respect, so I don’t want to dismiss them—or the people who say them. But idealizing special-needs parents can be similar to the way we lionize the men and women in the military. We call them heroes and warriors and guardians of our freedom. And usually that’s what they are. But such vaunted language can cloak the emotional and psychological trauma that many who have been in combat have experienced. We sanitize the brutality and dehumanizing power of war by putting “Support Our Troops” magnets on our bumpers and applauding soldiers in the airport. But these very soldiers are bearing a burden few of us can imagine—and the Veterans Administration is woefully underfunded..

I don’t mean to compare my experience to that of someone who has been shot at, or worse, who has had to kill a fellow human being. But according to a University of Wisconsin study, parents of special-needs children often exhibit stress levels comparable to combat soldiers. In fact, many of these parents are diagnosed with PTSD or situational depression. And looking back on some of the instances of high drama we’ve experienced over the years, I can easily see how this is the case. As I said above, this is hard stuff.

But back to the not complaining point. The thing is, we don’t think about how hard it is all the time, so we don’t usually complain. It usually happens only when we get really, really tired. Usually  we’re just too  busy trying to keep up and keep awake. It’s not that we’re heroic; it’s just that we love our children. Like any other parent does.

Nothing Special.

So to those who say, “I don’t know how you do it,” the answer is easy: I’m not aware of any alternatives. You don’t count the cost when someone you love needs you. You just do what you need to do.

Anyway, thanks for reading. I didn’t have a major point to make. I just wanted to get this off my chest. Katie and I are not heroes. We’re not special or extra blessed. And I’m sure most of you, if not all of you, would handle our situation just as well as we are doing—and maybe a whole lot better! We’re just everyday people trying to take things one day at a time. And we’re tired.

So. . . . Very. . . . Tired.

P.S. For those who don’t recognize it, the picture at the top is of the incomparable Madeline Kahn, as Lili von Shtupp, singing the song, “I’m Tired” in Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles. Here’s a link to the song. And if Mel Brooks isn’t your thing, well that’s a crying shame. Let me offer you a different visual.