Life with an autistic child inevitably results in lots of compromises. What most families may take for granted as normal is often unachievable for those with special needs children. That's not to say life is worse but there is a definite need for some creative thinking and flexibilty and it definitely helps to let go of any ideals you held for how family life should be.
One of our household compromises has been to become quite nomadic, especially when it comes to sleeping and eating. Most mornings either H or I wake up in a different bed to the one we went to sleep in (largely thanks to Toby's nocturnal shenanigans). We're usually awake for a few hours each night as Toby doesn't often sleep through and is quite active when he wakes. When it comes to meals we take a similar flexible approach. Toby grazes most of the day and is an extremely faddy eater so we only tend to eat our Sunday dinner altogether at the dining table, the rest of the time it's picnics, knee balancing and plate juggling. It's all to do with coping - I think if you strive for perfection when it's not an achievable attainment then you're less likely to cope (that's my excuse anyway!)
Toby is of course the most adventurous nomad of us all, usually choosing to eat at altitude - he often heads off to the top of the climbing frame or his platform bed with his assortment of bowls but his current favourite place is half way up the stairs!
It makes for a bit of an assault course if you ever need to dash to the loo in our house!
