Haven’t posted in a lil while... | Autism PDD
Hello my Friends
I hope your weekend went well, & for all of you "dads" out there, I hope you all had a great Father's day! I just need a shoulder really... I guess I'm just now realizing that my 24 y/o schizophrenic Daughter will never be able to take care of her baby Riley. He's 2 months old right now, & spends more time with US than with her. I love taking care of my Grandson, please don't get me wrong, but I just thought that once my Daughter got back on her meds, that she'd be a different person (like before) & be able to take care of her baby. I was wrong, today she told us that she wants us to take guardianship of him. Which is a GOOD thing, I mean, at least she isn't trying to SAY that she can take care of him, & neglecting him instead... I love my Grandson, & want the best for him (of course), but I guess WE'RE the best for him, not his own mommy. On the bright side, our 9 y/o HFA Son Tony is extatic about Riley living here! My 16 y/o "step"Daughter Nikki is too. I'm just really sad because I never thought my Daughter would be mentally ill, & hardly able to care for herself... and it makes me wonder how Tony (our HFA Son) will do on his on...or if he'll be able to be on his own. I know schizophrenia & autism are two TOTALLY different things, but I just really worry about BOTH of them, & don't know how EITHER of their futures will turn out........ Thanx for reading... God Bless you all & keep you all safe! Linda...aka Tony'sMom...aka MWN64
Good luck, I think it is good that you daughter does realize she cannot take care of the baby. She is lucky to have you in her corner. Tammy Hi Linda, I know its been so hard for you being pulled in so many directions. I know we all want the best for our kids and have hopes and dreams of what they will become. It hurts when it doesn't turn out. Riley is so lucky to have you, as are your children and step daughter. If you dont want to immediately take custody of Riley with the hopes your daughter might eventually decided to care for Riley as he becomes older and is (hopefully) less demanding what about temporary custody while she take some parenting classes and maybe see if theres anyone in the community (social worker perhaps) that can get her some daily assistance and help in caring for him? I know usually they try to keep parents and kids together. Im sure being a single parent for her with her disorder is absolutely overwhelming. I give her credit to realize she can't do it on her own. Has anyone talked to her about protecting herself from becoming pregnant again in the future? AS far as Tony........ as you know there are never any guarantees. ALl we can do is try our best and give them every chance to have the help service and therapies they need to hopefully be able to live on their own. I know there are assisted living centers for autistics, mentally retarded and other disabled individuals in my small town area. I would venture to think there are others in bigger cities and towns as well. What about Looking into one of these places for your daughter. The ones here have daily caretakers who come in to make sure they take their meds and have a shower, eat make a list for the store and so on. If you like I can help you look into this for your area. I don't know if they take people with mental illness or not but its worth checking out. Possibly this might be a way for her to care for her child? Good Luck with all the struggles you face in your daily life. We are here for you! (((((linda)))))) just wanted to say hi and say u are a fantastic mum and nan xx
I've been away for awhile as well. I am sorry your
daughter has been afflicted with schizophrenia. I
know how heartbreaking that can be. My mother has the
same thing. I was told that in her case it will
only get worse as she gets older. My parents divorced
and I was raised by my dad. When I was of age I began
to visit her again and took over the role of being her
caregiver. It didnot go well. Now I
remain her caregiver but from a distance. She
lives about 2 1/2 hours away from me but I am her only family
contact. It is hard for my sisters to understand her
mental illness.....so they don't have much to do with
her. I think you are doing the right thing for your
grandchild. When he is old enough to understand you
should explain to him about his mothers condition and let him know that
she does not chose to be that way, that if she could she would love to
raise him herself but she can not be sure she can care for
herself. Sometimes it is hard for people to have
compassion on the mentally ill. We need to advocate
for them as well as our kids with autism! I
have 2 kids on the spectrum.....I have always wondered if there is a
link between the two disorders. Some of the symptoms
can look the same.
So here is my shoulder!! 
and
a big hug! I know the heartache....We have to be the
strong ones and the ones who care the most....that also means we are
the ones who hurt the most for the ones we love and yet cannot seem to
help. God bless! bonnie
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