ND Parenting is Exhausting

It can be exhausting always being the subject matter expert on your child. The ‘go to’ parent in the playground for neurodivergence. The person at work who ‘knows things about Autism’.

And the other side of the coin – when you speak to people who don’t know your situation and they complain about their neurotypical child ‘taking 20 minutes to go the sleep last night’ or your older colleagues smiling knowingly and saying ‘oh yes, I remember what it was like’ when you tell them that your kid is having a hard time at the moment.

Sometimes you just want to nod and smile. Sometimes you want to educate. Sometimes you want to scream.

Here is the thing: you get to choose. You are not failing as an ND advocate if today you nod and smile. You haven’t ruined your work relationships if you say ‘actually my situation is complicated.’ You haven’t been ‘that parent’ if you give a short speech about the social model of disability to your child’s teacher.

You get to decide when you are the advocate, the expert, the parent, the colleague, or the person staring at their phone at school pick up for 5 minutes of peace.

I see you, I get it – you are doing great.