I slept for a couple of hours after dropping the boys off at school and feel so much better now. There were a million things I needed to get done this morning, but none of that was going to happen without at least some sleep. This morning’s nap puts me at a total of only four hours of sleep but sometimes I get must less and so I’m grateful for what I can get when I can get it.

Gavin and Lizze are both sleeping right now, and that gives me some time to myself to get some writing done.

Writing helps me to clear my head, deal with my depression and also provide a better life for my family. In other words, it’s very important to me.

One of the things that people don’t always understand is that many special needs parents are functioning while chronically sleep deprived. It’s for that reason that many of us have no choice but to sleep when we can, even if it means putting things on the back burner to do it. One cannot be expected to deal with the types of things kids with Autism can bring to the party, without the benefit of a good nights sleep and a clear mind.

Unfortunately, not Autism parent has the opportunity to steal a nap during the day. It’s important for those of us who can take a nap sometimes never to take that for granted. We all have our crosses to bear, while sleep is a common struggle, there are many more out there as well.