I have some thoughts:
- You don’t seem to have a lot of empathy for anybody around you. The only pain that you can see is your pain. There are good people around you and there are other people that are suffering, and if you can’t see that, it’s a danger sign.
Think seriously about getting evaluated for depression and seeking out psychological support for yourself as a special needs parent.
- Why does being the sole provider mean being “last”?
- I’m not sure you are there for your wife emotionally at this point. It doesn’t sound like you have a lot to give.
- I’m sorry you don’t have enough support from your parish and from elsewhere. Are you and your wife taking full advantage of all programs available for children with your kids’ condition?
One of our kids is 12 and is mildly autistic. She’s done a ton of therapy and had a ton of help since she was diagnosed at 6, and she now leads a very normal life. I’m assuming that your kids have much more serious conditions, but all the same, I do understand. When my daughter was 6 and 7, she’d throw forks and pencils at me point first when she was mad, she’d throw food, she’d refuse to eat or drink or go to the bathroom, she’d walk into walls, she’d fall out of chairs, she’d have multi-hour tantrums, I had to dress her for school until she was 8, I had to literally drag her to the car in the morning for school, and I’d get awful reports from school and I was so scared she was going to get expelled, etc. Things were tough. But we put her in lots of therapy (physical therapy, social skills circle and riding therapy), I studied positive reinforcement, I worked hard on the positive reinforcement and a points system with her, we worked with school, and little by little, things improved. In fact, things have improved so much that she occasionally works as a mother’s helper for a friend of mine with a seriously disabled child. And she’s really good with him.
I don’t know what your particular situation is, but I do know that there are people out there that want to help you, there are lots of different options, and your life can be better. And I know how isolating and embarrassing special needs can be.
Just as a stop gap, do you have a college in your area? It might be a very good thing to find an education student working in special education and train them to be a mother’s helper and eventually babysitter. It sounds like you and your wife need some alone time and fun together in the worst way. In fact, I suspect that that (and psychological evaluation for you) are probably your family’s most pressing needs.
If you have no help in your current area, how about moving to an area with better services or resources? I’ve been impressed with a local college’s autism center. Living within commuting distance of a college with an education department could give you and your wife access to energetic, idealistic young people that would love to work for you.
- I know you think your family is useless, but can you ask them for specific things that are within their abilities? For instance, a relative might not be able to watch your kids, but they might be able to mow your lawn once in a while or set up for a birthday party or pick up some groceries, or whatever. Also, money is good. Money buys all sorts of wonderful things, like therapy and babysitters. One of the best things my in-laws did for us was to send us $900 when our oldest was first being evaluated and then to pay for most of her riding therapy for a number of years.
- Make sure to keep up your social connections, even if it’s just Facebook or going out to lunch with coworkers.
Best wishes!