How often do you hang out with your kids?

[MrsCobraBubbles]

Sometimes it turns out autistic kiddos have autistic parents. I'm curious if you ever considered. I love Minecraft but haven't played in a long time. It's VERY cool that you talk to your kids about their special interests.

Funny you mention that because my last therapist thought I was, she's a psychologist so I guess she probably knows. But she also said that she would never diagnose an adult so it's not official. I understand it's expensive and difficult to get a diagnosis as an adult. Her off the record diagnosis was reaffirmed when I started working with autistic kids because when I walked into that classroom I immediately had this feeling of "these are my people". Same feeling I get around my own kids, they are my people too and I love hanging with them.

 

[liquid17]

Once a week we pick up our granddaughter early from daycare at 3 and take her to the park or back to her house to play. Our oldest (31) and her husband get home from work 6ish and we usually hang together/have dinner. In addition, we usually see them once a month for a family party or to help them with something in the house/yard or babysit. They live about an hour away.

Our 2 youngest (22 and 24) still live at home. Between work and school they are pretty busy and spend a lot of free time in their respective rooms, but we do see each other every day, eat together 1-2x per week, and hang out maybe...2x a month?

Our 2nd (29) lives in WA state so we only see her a few times a year. When we do we hang out a LOT!

 

[DisneyOma]

Both are adults now - I get to hang out with my younger one at work every day. Older one lives in another state, have to fly to get there, and I don't see nearly enough of her or her wife.

 

[Notreallyaustralian]

Funny you mention that because my last therapist thought I was, she's a psychologist so I guess she probably knows. But she also said that she would never diagnose an adult so it's not official. I understand it's expensive and difficult to get a diagnosis as an adult. Her off the record diagnosis was reaffirmed when I started working with autistic kids because when I walked into that classroom I immediately had this feeling of "these are my people". Same feeling I get around my own kids, they are my people too and I love hanging with them.

Very cool!!! I think as soon as you mentioned playing Minecraft...I was like "Autistic!" THAT should be in the DSM. But yeah...also relating to autistic people. That's definitely a clue.

I saw a video made by an autistic man. He said the most important thing a parent could do for their autistic child is figure out if they (the parent) might be autistic too. Or if they're not quite autistic at least see what traits they can relate to. And if the traits are harmless or positive; then celebrate, nurture, or accept those traits.

(I'm not trying to say you need a diagnosis. It IS expensive and mentally exhausting. But...just that you are considering you're probably autistic....I think that's a very good thing. For you AND your child).

 

[indimom]

Not often enough. I'm in Indiana. DS lives in Arizona. DD lives in Georgia.

 

[leebee]

DD and her husband, and his 6yo son, live with us, so I see them every day. Maybe once a week or so DD and I'll go for a drive or shopping or a beer, but DD is a full time grad student, SIL works full time and has his hands full with the 6yo, DH and I both work full time. There's lots of coming and going here! We eat dinner together most nights, but there isn't much opportunity for going out to dinner, a movie, or for the evening with a 6yo in the picture.

 

[ronandannette]

Our DS lives at home but we all have our own schedules and catch each other on-the-fly. We play a favourite board game together for an hour or so a few times a week and make plans to go out to eat or a movie together every few months or so. The (much older) DD’s don’t live local so seeing them is an event, never just casually hanging out.

 

[mrodgers]

College age. One has one final class she is finishing up. The other is just finishing 1st semester of Freshman year.

They live with mom. The oldest is now halfway between with the boyfriend and at mom's. I don't have a place to come visit. We get together now and then but it's mostly to help her out with stuff like her car.

Youngest I hang out with every weekend. Drive up to Erie to pick her up and drive her back on Sunday. Friday night we stop for something to eat, then hang out until it's late and I head home. Saturday if we plan something like if I have to have a Walmart run I'll go pick her up as she needs her slim supply of food and stuff replenished at school. Else she usually wants to spend the day playing the Sims, LOL. Mom works retail so I'll head out to the house and get dinner with my daughter or we'll watch a movie. Often the ex is home and we all hang out together watching a movie. Sunday hang out before heading back to school.

When we were one big ah, happy family, we all hung out together because we lived in the middle of nowhere so there was no neighborhood kids like the way I grew up. We struggled so for the longest time only had the 1 TV and we all hung out together in the evenings. This was all strange to me because I grew up in a neighborhood and was never home after school or in the summers. Always out in the neighborhood, in the woods, at the church parking lot playing basketball, in the next neighborhood playing hockey on the ponds, never home from about 3rd grade on.

 

[MamaMermaid]

My son is 5 sooo every day, all day except for work (I'm a teacher). I say "bye!" at 6:45am and then pick him up at 2:30pm; honestly, it's the best but boy, I'd love a day off.