This is long, sorry.....
Wow. I haven't read this entire thread (honestly, haven't gotten past the first page), but I am impressed with how well you young kids are doing.
Notice the numbers on my call sign. I'm 40. I grew up with parents who (still) don't believe that my dad has HFA, and think that seeking medical assistance in dealing with your life is really necessary. For them, the statement "just suck it up and run with it" was an okay thing to say. Yeah, THAT works....
I had two specific incidents that define my life: The first was in second grade. We were playing "Duck, Duck Goose". I got excited and decided to join in. As I went around the circle, the other kids either dodged me or acted like they were trying to protect themselves from me. I was so deeply insulted, I just stopped and cried. It was miserable.
The second was about 4 years later. We had moved away for a job my dad had fora year, but moved back when that ended. I came back to the same school because it was where we were. I was brought to the class, and the moment I walked in, the entire class took a deep breathe and groaned. And I mean every. single. one.
I won't go through it all, but I was miserable and suicidal for over a decade. I got into racing because someone showed me that it was an intense way to deal with life, and, once I got that into me, I also realized it was a way to flirt with death. Not a good thing, but, hey, it was the one thing I could enjoy at the time. When I left high school in '92, I vowed I would never go back to school again.
Fast forward to about 2002-5. I had been diagnosed with bi-polar 2 (if you don't think ONE problem is bad, try two of them!
), but it didn't answer all of the questions. I found a new person to work with, and they said I have Aspergers/ High function Autism (HFA). That began answering a lot of questions.
I had been married for a bit by then ('96), and my oldest was showing some similarities. They have now received the same diagnosis as me. Oh, joy......
But, I have been able to work with some good people and overcome some of the bigger problems in my life. I still don't like dealing with others, and I have bombed more job interviews than I care to mention. But, I have been at the same place since '99, and was been able to build up enough confidence to return to school and get a 2-year degree. (Since I was working, it took 5 years..... But! I did it!!!!
)(And, honestly, I came within a phone call of not starting. I was THAT scared....)
I am now in an engineering department, and I am really looking forward to the rest of my life. I wouldn't wish my life on my worst enemy, but I know that I have been greatly blessed to have the experiences that I have. I only hope I can help anyone else who has a frustrating life to know that they don't need to give up. There is always joy if you look to God and LIVE!
Thanks for reading.
Edit: I finished reading the thread, now. Besides the troll, there have been some good comments. I enjoyed many of them.
For @
Bodyguard, I would like to say that being able to stand up for yourself comes back to knowing what to do and how to react to the situation. I tend to not know the correct action, so if I get into a situation where I have to think fast, especially if it is stressful, I actually shut down. When I go back to the situation later, I will have had time to think about the situation and can make some progress on it. It still doesn't change the fact that I still don't always know what to do next. This is why I would rather not get into a situation to begin with. I stay as far from things I don't know as possible, because creating a new response is difficult on good days.
It is good to know that we are able to support each other.