02/25/2026
Reef woke up at 4 a.m. and went back to sleep at 9 a.m.
Autism parenting means every night is different.
Some nights he sleeps straight through. Some nights he’s up laughing, scripting, humming, or just wide awake while the rest of the world is asleep. There isn’t a predictable rhythm. There isn’t a “normal” schedule to rely on.
So I’ve learned to bend, not break.
I protect my energy where I can. I rest when he rests. I cancel when I need to. I don’t force productivity on days that require flexibility.
This is what adapting looks like.
It’s not lazy. It’s not chaotic. It’s responsive.
His nervous system leads.
And I move with it.