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<blockquote data-quote="gcvmom" data-source="post: 370741" data-attributes="member: 3444"><p>I have one extended family member who really understands our difficult child issues. The rest just kind of ignore it. We are still included in family stuff and they tolerate the difficult child-ness o.k., but that's probably because I have run massive interference for years.</p><p> </p><p>As for friends, I have sort of a compartmentalized social life. I have lots of friends here on this board, some of whom I've even had the pleasure of meeting in person. I have friends in the community, few of whom truly understand my real life, but that's o.k. with me. They provide me with a different sort of social outlet where I can forget about reality for a while. I have a couple of friends I've known for decades, and they know pretty much everything, even if they don't always understand. And every now and then I pick up a new friend with whom I can share most of our difficult child issues and they truly get it (often because they have their own difficult child somewhere in their life).</p><p> </p><p>Even if your family doesn't get it, it's important for you to keep reaching out wherever possible. Support can come from the most unlikely places, and it's valuable no matter where you find it.</p><p> </p><p>NAMI has support groups. CHADD has support groups. There are tons of autism support groups. Those are all great places to find others who are dealing with similar circumstances and whom you can lean on for support and understanding. And maybe just getting involved at your kids' school will connect you with others who don't necessarily need to know what you're dealing with every day, but who might be fun to go out with once in a while.</p><p> </p><p>I joined a mom's club in my community, and some of them had formed a monthly bunco group, which I joined. That introduced me to new people, and after a few years I ended up leaving that group to join a completely different bunco group. I've been with THAT group 7 or 8 years now and we no longer play bunco, but we still get together every month to have dinner, drinks, and a lot of laughs. Maybe you'd enjoy a women's bowling league. Or some other group activity that just gets you out of the house for some adult conversation. Whatever you decide floats your boat, DO IT. Just meeting people who like to have fun can be uplifting, and can broaden your social horizons in ways you might never have expected.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="gcvmom, post: 370741, member: 3444"] I have one extended family member who really understands our difficult child issues. The rest just kind of ignore it. We are still included in family stuff and they tolerate the difficult child-ness o.k., but that's probably because I have run massive interference for years. As for friends, I have sort of a compartmentalized social life. I have lots of friends here on this board, some of whom I've even had the pleasure of meeting in person. I have friends in the community, few of whom truly understand my real life, but that's o.k. with me. They provide me with a different sort of social outlet where I can forget about reality for a while. I have a couple of friends I've known for decades, and they know pretty much everything, even if they don't always understand. And every now and then I pick up a new friend with whom I can share most of our difficult child issues and they truly get it (often because they have their own difficult child somewhere in their life). Even if your family doesn't get it, it's important for you to keep reaching out wherever possible. Support can come from the most unlikely places, and it's valuable no matter where you find it. NAMI has support groups. CHADD has support groups. There are tons of autism support groups. Those are all great places to find others who are dealing with similar circumstances and whom you can lean on for support and understanding. And maybe just getting involved at your kids' school will connect you with others who don't necessarily need to know what you're dealing with every day, but who might be fun to go out with once in a while. I joined a mom's club in my community, and some of them had formed a monthly bunco group, which I joined. That introduced me to new people, and after a few years I ended up leaving that group to join a completely different bunco group. I've been with THAT group 7 or 8 years now and we no longer play bunco, but we still get together every month to have dinner, drinks, and a lot of laughs. Maybe you'd enjoy a women's bowling league. Or some other group activity that just gets you out of the house for some adult conversation. Whatever you decide floats your boat, DO IT. Just meeting people who like to have fun can be uplifting, and can broaden your social horizons in ways you might never have expected. [/QUOTE]
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