Born with disabilities myself, I have patience with my daughter's Autism plus an unwillingness to admit defeat and alot of independance.  After devoting alot of my time to helping my daughter, when she became 12 1/2 I got a big surprise.  I was not only pregnant, but having twins and then they decided to be  born 3 1/2 months early.  After that, things changed alot.  My daughter's behavior took a nose dive, I was laid off after 6 yrs at my last job, and my  husband's health has deteriorated.  But, I am gradually getting things back on track again.  We no longer have a mortgage but pay rent, I am receiving SSI benefits for the children after having to sell some land that I had inherited, and my husband has been in the hospital for 3 days now with doctors who have vowed to get to the bottom of what is going on physically with my husband.  The twins started subsidized day care last week and my daughter started getting respite & in home support services this week so I can find a job.  I let out my feelings by listening to music, whether it be Bon Jovi, Cher, Metallica, Enya, Duran Duran or something more modern.  I would love to go walking in the woods or at the rivers nearby but with the kids I have not had any free time to myself in order to indulge in that.  I am pretty much straightforward, never having spent much time with or understanding social situations, so I pretty much keep to myself rather than try to understand others who are not like me.  It is just too confusing and I don't have patience enough to really try.  I have been married for the past 16 yrs because I refuse to give up or to give in.  And ironically the times that I have been ready to give up are the times when my husband starts to refuse to give up.