Life with Joel

Asperger's is such a hard thing to deal with. I realize now that I haven't been dealing with it. I have been avoiding it. I ignore it. I make excuses.
Chris and I had a long discussion tonight. We handle Joel's Asperger's on two different extremes. I ignore it, baby it. I have no problem letting Joel sit in his room all day. IT's what he likes to do. I don't care if he doesn't want to hang out in the living room. Scratch that. I care but I'm on edge when he's up here because he might start doing some weird thing and then Chris will tell him to knock it off and then I'll hurt for Joel because I don't think he can help it. Whoa-talk about a run on sentence.
Chris makes Joel play with X, he makes him come out of his room. The rule is if Joel doesn't make an effort to spend time with the family then he doesn't get to play his video games on the weekend. If you take the video games away it sends Joel over the edge. Part of the Asperger's is having some OCD tendancies... Joel is majorily OCD about video games. Even MENTION you MIGHT take his games away he will go nuts. This drives both Chris and I nuts.
Chris gets frustrated because Joel doesn't want to play with X. He asks when he can be done. Chris thinks it's mean.... I understand it's part of the Asperger's. Aspie's are very selfish people. They have no empathy. If something doesn't effect them they don't care.

I say "that's just part of Aspergers"
Chris says "we can break him of it"

It's not a behavior issue it's a syndrom... you can't "break" them of it. I tell Chris it would be like getting mad at a mentally retarded person for not knowing how to do algebra.

Chris says we could at least try to learn how to help him with it. I agree, I'm calling a therapist tomorrow. So we can all go to figure out what we can do for this. I have to learn to accept it. I have to teach Joel how to deal with it.... after all he isn't going to have me there to make excuses all the time.

It all makes me so tired.