Do you like / get along with your family?

I hate my family. Growing up in rural Kentucky was a pretty awful experience. My parents did not go to college, and my dad would often resort to holding me down and hitting me with a belt. He would also scream inches from my face. Who does that kind of stuff to a six year old? I was diagnosed this time last year, and upon telling my parents they just denied it, saying psychiatrists were quack jobs looking to scam people. For whatever reason though, they took in his brother and 3 kids into our tiny 2 bedroom house, and after they finally left after years, we had 3 more kids on my mom's side permanently stay with us. Thank God I'm in a single room dorm now, but it was pretty terrible going from an only child to all those kids constantly around me, screaming and crying. Not only did I have to put up with those sound sensitivity issues (both parents have horrible smoker's cough too), but I had to relive my childhood by watching them get hit with the belt and screamed at again. I want to cut them out of my life, but there's no option for that. I may be a straight 'A' college student, but that does me no good when I lack the social aptitude to get a job on the side to pay for car insurance and such.

I've always been extremely close with my family. I've lived at home all my life and at 29, don't plan on moving out any time soon. I don't know what I'd do without them. They provide moral support, tremendous financial help when I'm in a bind (social workers aren't rich) and we all like to spend time together. My bro and I are as tight as you can get. Even when we were little, our "fights" were nothing more than arguing and hitting here and there, and we would be over whatever was bothering us in a matter of minutes. I've never held a grudge against him. I don't think I'm capable of it as I'm an easygoing, forgiving person! My parents and I butt heads once in awhile, usually getting into arguments over how I'm managing my money (it is difficult) or something else I'm lacking in as far as priorities (I have ADHD; priorities aren't my forte).....it's usually my dad who gets on my case about these things but I realize it's because he cares. Again, these blow over very quickly and usually end in both sides apologizing for blowing up.

Then there's my cousins. On my mom's side, I have two cousins who I pretty much think of as sisters. I've always enjoyed hanging out with them, and would do anything for them. On my dad's side, I have three cousins: one lives in California so I don't get to see him that much, and two live in the area and are married with kids. I'm close with all of my second cousins as well, especially the two I babysit. They are tons of fun and the youngest one is like my little sidekick. He cracks me up! My aunt and uncle on my mom's side live 5 minutes away from me and my aunt on my dad's side about 20 minutes. They have all been in my life since I was born, as well as my uncle on my dad's side who passed in June. There are so many memories with all of them...

And then my grandma. I'm at her house just about as much as I'm home. I help her with grocery shopping, and we go out to eat and to the mall often. She's always had my back and I'm always around to help. She's my only grandparent left and am blessed to have her and in good health! I never knew my grandma on my dad's side as she passed before I was born, and both of my grandpas passed when I was 12. I was also very close with them, and my grandpa on my dad's side lived with us from when I was very little until his last days.

Sooo...that's my family in a nutshell, and to answer the original question, yes, I get along with them!

Nice to see that somebody has a good family! My immediate family is about the same, very close and loving. My quirks have caused some tension and led to me being too hard on myself due to things my father said, but for most of my childhood it was good enough that I never ended up diagnosed. I'm sure I would have been if I went to public school, but I was homeschooled and once I got older, for the most part I taught myself. Which was a great experience and probably the best way for me to learn.

I never was really close to my father like I was with my brothers (the three of us are the oldest three of nine kids and did everything together), but he's a lot like me--may have AS as well--and despite having different interests we've had a lot of good times. My mother is so kind and gentle, and other than my brothers I always connected better with girls than boys, so she and I are pretty close.

Now I'm living over 2,000 miles away with my fiancee's family, and they're the ones who first brought AS to my attention because they have a boy with high-functioning autism. So they understand me probably as well as my parents do despite knowing me for a much shorter period of time. I get along with them quite well, and they understand if I have to run away somewhere quiet (since their younger boys and extended family can get really noisy.)

I enjoy hanging out with their 11 year old autistic boy. We have so much in common, even many overlapping obsessions. He loves hanging out with me as well because I listen to him and I'm like a walking dictionary/encyclopedia. We play chess and stratego together sometimes.

That's awesome! Sounds like your lives came together for a reason, and everything fell right into place

We did, yes. I think the main reason is that my fiancee was one of the few friends who supported me when I was going through a really hard time last winter with depression and anxiety--which logically I shouldn't have had because I had finally gotten a good job and I have a great family and everything. We met on a writer's forum online, me from Washington state and her from Indiana. She's the one who gave me the idea for a novel that won first place in a contest which got me a scholarship, allowing me to finally go to college in Kansas, and now I've just moved to Indiana after finishing my first semester. After all she did for me I realized I wanted to keep her around and started falling in love.

Its hard to say. When I grew up I hated most of my family. My sister had severe emotional problems and was in and out of psychiatric hosptial and tended to have temper tantrums, hallusinations and violent outbreaks. A few years ago when I finally understood her reasons why, I forgave her. I like her alot better now, though sometimes I despise some of her personality traits. I can't help it.

My mother had several extreme depression periods when I grew up. Often syncing up with my sister, making me having to cook, clean and take care of the house while they couldn't function. I had no idea why there were acting like that and it was very upsetting to me as I had alot of emotional problems myself.

My father is a different story. We always argued and never understood each other or got along, I honestly looked for clues as to wether or not I was adopted or maybe he was angry I wasn't the son he wanted. Maybe he was feeling he was failing his son (my half brother), my sister (because of all her issues) and now me, because i was showing signs of alot of problems. He once got drunk and mistook my late night movie for porn, and literally tried to throw my pc out the window. After that it's been.. strained. We're getting better now, but it's still incredibly awkward.