Throwing In The Towel

I am at the end of my rope. My feet are dangling and my toes are scraping the ground. I can let go and walk off at any moment, and I think I want to. Out of everything I have done, going with J to this doctor and that doctor and making the appointments and babying J, etc, he turns around and tells me it is my fault that I have anxiety. Let's not forget that my anxiety would not be so high if I didn't have to cater to him every second or otherwise be told I wasn't supportive or I'm mean or I'm abusive... all the while, he doesn't ever look in the mirror and do self-reflection. I have been driven to the brink of insanity by dealing with him, his kids, his ex and his family. NOT ANY MORE! The only problem is that he won't go anywhere because he doesn't have anywhere to go... so I'm stuck with him until he moves on to suck the life out of someone else.

Lonely

So.. here I sit.. alone. It isn't like this is anything new. Yet, I am expected to keep my head up, my mouth shut and pretend that I'm a happy wife. Well, I'm not. J likes to proclaim that he is a great husband and father. If that is the case, why is he so detached?

When we first met, we went to Celebration IV, a Star Wars-themed convention. It was great. From there, we did San Diego Comic Con, Dragon*Con, and a few smaller cons. Everything was great! When we (mainly I) ran out of the funds to go to cons, the problems surfaced. I could no longer keep J happy because he wasn't traveling, getting dressed up, having his picture taken. He turned "back" into the depressed guy he was before he moved in with me.

It has been an extremely tiresome road since then. And, when it comes to Jareth, he likes to tell me he was forced to have him. Since he likes to hold it over my head, I'd really like to clarify. He is referring to the point in our relationship when I told him that I was ready to have children. I made sure that he knew having my own children was a sure thing for me and that if he couldn't handle that, he shouldn't move down. He moved down here anyway. So, when we got to the point in our relationship where I wanted to further the topic, I basically told him that I wanted to be a mother, that he knew this from the beginning, and if he wasn't prepared to have more kids, then he should leave now so I could be on my way, finding a person that I could make a family with. That turned into me strong-arming him into having a baby with me. He would repeatedly tell me that he was going to tell everyone how I forced him to have Jareth because he didn't want to have another baby. Fine.

But, he had a baby with me, didn't he? And since we have had him, I am the one waking up with him at night, changing the majority of his diapers, feeding him about 99% of the time for the first year and bathing the baby solely for the first, what.. 15, 16 months?, doing all the baby's laundry and putting the clothes away. And if I want a break from the crying and have J put him down for a nap or at night, I get "YOU wanted him". Thanks, J.

Fast forward to this summer.. J's older boys are coming down. I was told 3 weeks beforehand by J's mother (whom he doesn't talk to) like it was a sure thing. Oh? Really? I knew it would be me doing all the work.. feeding them, making and enforcing rules, making sure they were properly groomed (at 9, 13 and 16, they don't remember to brush their teeth), and making sure their outfits at least matched. All the while, J says "Ginger says to do this, Ginger says don't do that" because Ginger should be the evil step-mother while J gets to be best buddies. For over a week, J just totally disregarded Jareth. Jareth couldn't watch any of his usual channels/shows. He wasn't getting any of Daddy's attention. So, when I took Jareth upstairs to let him play freely and watch his shows, I was "isolating him from his brothers". J repeatedly told me we are a family. Really? Damn.. could have fooled me!

Since they left, J has continued in his own alienation of Jareth and me. He is totally detached. It was apparent when we went to the playground and J wouldn't participate. When he finally did, his head was so far off that he could have seriously injured Jareth. That was it. We left immediately with me in a bad mood again because J didn't see anything wrong with what he was doing. I feel like I have taken all I could take. J is perfect.. I am the one who needs to "understand AS" the excuse he has for EVERYTHING. I need to change to make him happy but he refuses to do that for me.. He has always been somewhat detached and now I feel like I'm detaching as well. Could I move on and be happy with someone else? Of course I could. I find it easier and easier in my mind to just leave with Jareth and find someone else to spend my life with.

Why haven't I? Well, I have thought about it for a really long time. Believe me. I can say that finances hold us together (even though we really don't have any).. but like a friend of mine was telling me earlier when referring to her own boy trouble.. when we are together, I feel a chemistry there. I guess she isn't ready to just walk away. Normally, I would have told her that she should cut her losses and leave him, but I know how it feels to feel connected to someone and not wanting that connection severed. This feeling of being detached yet so connected is really weird. I really don't want to leave or give up.. I kind of feel like our vacation to Disney World and Universal will make or break us. If we have fun and can once again renew our devotion to each other, we're going to make it through.. If we are miserable with each other while down there, I don't have such an optimistic outlook. It's funny that when I booked it, I put that it was our "Honeymoon" since it will be the first time we went away after our marriage. Maybe it was always meant to bring us back together. All I know is that these tropical storms better back off so I can have fun and show Jareth a great time at Disney! September 7th, you can't come fast enough!

No News is Good News?

Things have been kind of quiet on the home front. J is getting back into not wanting to leave the house, even to do things we have to do like get the car inspected. My mom and bf moved back in. I think that is what is making things rough. I want to get out more and he wants to stay in. Other than that, we have planted a garden that can occupy our time. I just wish I had a car that was in working condition and a decent job to pay for things we need. It sucks being unemployed and unable to find work anywhere. :(

Better Yesterday, Better Today, Better Tomorrow...

I realized something yesterday morning. My vent really wasn't about the kids, but the parents. I really hate feeling aggravated with the kids, so I decided, I don't have to be. I will just be mad at the parents who made them that way. They don't know any better because they were never taught. Once I realized that, I was once again at peace and could let things roll off my back. I told J that I would just be mad at him and his ex, instead of the kids. Since then, we have been having a much better time together. Today is another fun-filled, busy day. We are going to go to a lighthouse since the kids have never been, then off to a fund-raiser for autism and finally BayFest. I gotta go get ready for the day so Adios!

Step-Motherly Woes

J's three older boys are down for a visit. They have no manners, don't eat properly, don't pay attention to anything and don't seem to care about anything. Well, J likes to tell me that I am the step-mom, so I have to make and enforce all the rules. I made up lists and put them around the house with the rules stated clearly. J made sure to tell the kids that these are my rules, not the house rules. These are not super strict rules, by any means. I don't see a common courtesy of putting the toilet seat down something that will make them all require therapy when they are older. However, the rules are ignored and J ignores the broken rules because the evil step-mother made them up. J makes me out to be the bad guy and tells me I should enforce the rules that he had no part in (even though he did). To this I say, why should I? If the parents don't want to teach them anything like how to eat healthy, how to take care of themselves and about having courtesy and manners, why should it be my responsibility? At this point, I'm thinking that I will also take the "I don't care" approach. If they want to be lazy, fat and ill-mannered, it really doesn't effect me. My son is going to be taught things by me (and probably only me, judging by how much J cares). Why? Because I want to maximize his potential at success in life. I don't want him to have to rely on anyone else. He will be well-mannered, well-equipped and encouraged to strive for the best person he can be. I guess my step-sons' parents won't care until they run into trouble later down the road. I don't think J should expect us to take them in when they are grown and should be able to take care of themselves. I signed up to be a step-mom. I didn't sign up to be a mother, father, grandparent and every other mentor these children should have in their lives but don't. I will not baby these children now or way into their adulthood. If J thinks I should, I guess he should make sure the door doesn't hit him in the arse on the way out.

I would like to add that I feel bad about venting about them. I think they are good kids.. I really do.. but they are not guided into being self-reliant people.. They are stuck at baby-level because they are babied. Anything they have learned has been from school, I am sure. J swears he was the disciplinarian.. but I have serious doubts. I mean, come on.. I learned how to tie my shoes when I was 3-4.. You should have witnessed the shock when we went bowling the first time and they all said they didn't know how to tie their shoes. They were all sitting there waiting for us to tie their shoes!! My jaw dropped. These kids are going to have to be in group homes, on welfare, in section 8 housing because there is no way they are going to be successful in life. It's so sad. It kills me.. but I am only 1 person. I can only do so much and when I have parents and grandparents working against me, I feel like it's a lost-cause. :(

Spontaneity and Touching/Cuddling

I was thinking about last night. I know that a lot of autistic people don't like to be touched or hugged. J LOVES when his back is scratched. However, cuddling is a different story. I was laying down with the baby and thinking how nice it would be for J to just come up and spoon me. He came up to bed and got in his usual spot. He might like being touched (or at least scratched), but he has no patience for cuddling. He can't do it unless it is on his own terms. This may leave the NT spouse feeling a bit lonely and deprived of spontaneous intimacy. It is hard to feel like this, but I know it is not because J doesn't love me or anything. He is loving in his own way... even if it is by blaming me for something that was totally his fault! LOL It adds a bit of humor to our relationship. Aspies exhibit highly different traits and it can boggle the best of minds. I prefer my Aspies to be different because there is no one exactly like they are. While we might miss out on certain aspects in "normal" friendships or relationships, I think what the Aspie brings to the table is a new perspective on life and a new way of being. It's very interesting. While I may want to be cuddled out of the blue and not have to say, "Cuddle with me," I wouldn't trade J for anyone else in the world, as I wouldn't trade my Aspie friends for anyone else. They are all amazing. =]

Things Are Looking Up

I guess my last blog put some things into perspective for J. He has since started spending more time with me and Jareth. We have gone on a few family dates and finally celebrated his birthday. I took him to the drive-in to see Clash of the Titans. We had his favorite cake -- Carvel Ice Cream Cake. We still have our disagreements, but we are getting back on the right track. I can't excuse myself entirely for our troubles, as J brings out the temper in me.. I can't help it. I am, after all, an Italian (even if it is by marriage only LOL). I will work on having more patience, and J will work on spending more time with me.