I'm back at work after being on vacation for a week. Actually, I was at home with my son the entire time. I loved every minute of it, but there were times when I was ready to pull my hair out of my head. For all you full-time stay-at-home parents of a special needs child, you have a new level of respect from me.

I had never really been at home with my son for more than a day or two since his autism really starting becoming apparent. Taking care of him all day really made me focus more (if that was even possible) on his special needs, and it really helped me as a parent. I feel as though I understand my son better and actually figured out a few ways to help him communicate his needs better, and some of it actually worked!! But then there were times when I felt like I wasn't meeting his needs, and I started getting frustrated with myself, like I couldn't do it. One thing I did was that every time I found myself getting frustrated, I went to my son and gave him a big hug and told him that I loved him, no matter what. That really helps. I just wish I could learn more about his needs much faster. But even if I did, the hugs would never stop.