Parenting an autistic child can be overwhelming. It can break you open in ways no one warns you about — the sleepless nights, the meltdowns (theirs and yours), the grief for a life you imagined that now looks different. That grief is real. But it’s not your child’s fault.
Your child is not your punching bag, your stress release, or the reason you feel like you’re drowning. They’re just a kid — trying to navigate a world that doesn’t work for them, with a brain that doesn’t respond the way others expect. They are not doing this to you. They are doing the best they can.
If you’re angry, frustrated, or resentful — that doesn’t make you a bad parent. It makes you human. But acting from that space can cause deep harm. It teaches your child that their needs are a burden. It tells them they are the problem.
Instead: