Sick of my family right now- I’m tuning them out permanently.

[Anonymous]

OP, what do you mean about your son being a dud? How old is he? Is he truly struggling, or just falling short of the hopes you may have had for him when he was younger? I have a teen DS and I stress about this too. Sometimes it is hard to know if he is really behind his peers or if I’m unfairly comparing him to kids I read about on DCUM, social media, or even my own hopes for how he would turn out.

[Anonymous]

Permanently? That's abusive.

[Anonymous]

Don’t tune out your children. Do the opposite. Connect with them. I don’t know what support you need- maybe you’re depressed, maybe you would be better off divorced. See a therapist or a life coach.

[Anonymous]

A. If it's more serious than normal teen behavior, then you need to GET THEM HELP. Evaluations, diagnoses, pharmacological and other types of treatment, etc. This YOUR job as the parent. Husbands are often clueless in this regard, so don't expect your husband to do this (my son's psychologist actually said this out loud).

B. If it's more serious than normal teen behavior, WHY ARE YOU BLAMING THEM AND CALLING THEM DUDS? That's incredibly nasty of you. My kid has high-functioning autism. Do you think he can help it? I have never thought of him as a dud in my life!

C. You've got serious issues. I usually have sympathy for parents of children with special needs, but you're not a sympathetic person. You run away and blame your kids for their issues.

[Anonymous]

Both kids are duds? Do think it's because of the nature to have them, or nurture?

If someone you know is an ahole, someone you know is an ahole. If everyone you know is an ahole, you're the aholem

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Both kids are duds? Do think it's because of the nature to have them, or nurture?

If someone you know is an ahole, someone you know is an ahole. If everyone you know is an ahole, you're the aholem

+1. When mom or dad is never content with how you perform or socialize, you lose motivation.

[Anonymous]

Someone on a similar thread a while ago posted a recommendation for Anne Tyler’s Ladder of Years.

I read the book and was absolutely jolted by the story. It consumed me for two weeks and the protagonist’s story of leaving her family out of the blue unravels like a thriller (or at least it did to me, a middle-aged woman who is wondering if this is all there is). It doesn’t have a simple ending or answers for you, but it will make you feel less alone in your questions about life.