Where do I start......

diymum

just noticed your post. i love travelling with my kids.

my son has been homeschooled for past6 years and we have been to pompeii, and tried crusing a coupld of years ago as i am not as mobile as i use to be.

my favourite thing is jumping in the campervan to wales.

do you have a blog would love to read about your travels it might inspire me to be braver.

thanks

Hi everyone,...I'm a single mum with two kids oldest now is 15 and asd,....I have mentioned in another post the only thing that help ALL my family , not just my son but all of us benefited from backpacking,

It sounds extreme , but then so was our circumstances and family life had become unbearable,

I had NEVER BACKPACKED BEFORE 2010!..it Tomas cook book pack and off,that used to be us then......

I found backpacking gave us all something different back,...let me explain how,

For my son with asd, it provided AN environment we controlled,..for instance if he had a meltdown I would break down everything he said or did that was wrong , then told him about other ways he can deal with stress and anger, he then would feel anxious that other people had noticed his oddness,...but he was reassured and we went to another area with different people , and so the whole process started again ....UNTIL HE MANGED TO COPE ,you see at school if he f##ks up,... this will only make him more aware because he KEEPS SEEING THE SAME PEOPLE......AND PEOPLE DONT FORGET , they are in affect a constant reminder, your kid is asd not stupid, so this will affect him knowing what others think about him,

Then there's the life skill YOU ALL LEARN , you think a 10 hrs bus trip will be 10hrs....what happens when it breaks down? And your still on it 20hrs later!!!yeah it's not fun but you all end up talking and most important you listen to each other like never before,...you will experience everything together, it will bring your family closer ,because your doing it for your kids ,

And you can make it an educational experience also ,.....

You don't have to backpack for a year you can go as long as your budget allows a few weeks ....maybe more,...don't get sacred of the education authority, it's an educational and hands on treatment for your kid, I've taken my two kids max 3 months per yr..during term time,...

Also the planning that goes into these trips is huge , so your attention is diverted to a positive approach to helping your family instead of feeling helpless and unable to reach your kids needs and development,...your taking a proactive approach,...these trip DONT HAVE TO BE EXPENSIVE, the cheapest for my family was £2500 for flights EVERYTHING FOR 3 months!,....and it could've been cheaper,.....

THE amount of research ..i.e....looking and reading about the place you might visit going onto travel forums , do you like jungle , mountains, cheap place like Morocco,...Cambodia,...Bolivia,....3 day Amazon trek for £45 each ...it costs more to go to the cinema!!!!

You should maybe look into something this extreme .....it HAS HELPED MY FAMILY ENORMOUSLY,....And I would never go back to a packaged holiday again,

All the very best 

HI there, hello I am new on here too. 

Your email really resonated with me, as having similiar issues with my little boy (aged 5) really severe separation anxiety from me especially at bedtime.  It wears me down as he screams and scream if his father tries to tuck him in or do the bedtime routine.  He always has to be honest, but this causes o many rows.  Husband feels I am giving in and rewarding his behaviour, I see it as being his constant, and supporting him through his anxiety.  I am baffled as to who is right or wrong but I cannot leave him to cry and scream :-( 

so if you do find the answers please share them!!