Discussion & help on depression & mental health related issues

First Christmas without my dad.

Very hard to try and stay positive, but my dad was a great man who made sure I was always in good spirits. I have to try and do the same for my son now. He is 5 and he is autistic so Christmas is a little different with him. He is not as excited about loads of presents, in fact it overwhelms him.

He is still full of smiles though and is having a lovely day. If I can somehow make him as proud of me as I am of my own late father then I won't have gone to far wrong.

Merry Christmas to all. Life is about a mixture of ups and downs but try and be positive, even when things seem so awful. You never know what tomorrow may bring and there will be lots more good times ahead. X
 
Darth Toffeeman said:
He is still full of smiles though and is having a lovely day. If I can somehow make him as proud of me as I am of my own late father then I won't have gone to far wrong.
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That's the important bit mate.
And the being proud of you - if you do the best you can and are there for him, I'm sure he will be as proud of you as you are of your dad.
All the best to you and yours and may the smiles long continue.
 
Darth Toffeeman said:
First Christmas without my dad.

Very hard to try and stay positive, but my dad was a great man who made sure I was always in good spirits. I have to try and do the same for my son now. He is 5 and he is autistic so Christmas is a little different with him. He is not as excited about loads of presents, in fact it overwhelms him.

He is still full of smiles though and is having a lovely day. If I can somehow make him as proud of me as I am of my own late father then I won't have gone to far wrong.

Merry Christmas to all. Life is about a mixture of ups and downs but try and be positive, even when things seem so awful. You never know what tomorrow may bring and there will be lots more good times ahead. X
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My boy is also aged 5 and autistic. Today has been good, even though the change has got to him a bit. It is all too much at times. we tend to give him a few presents today then 1 a week for a bit.

My boy Sam is great, coming along fine and doing great at his school. We have wonderful kids bud. I am so so proud of Sam.

If you ever want a chat about ASD or just our kids, then PM me. We attend a lot of groups and courses. My wife works for an ASD charity. And there are a lot of fun nights on at play centres every week.
 
helpimonfire said:
My boy is also aged 5 and autistic. Today has been good, even though the change has got to him a bit. It is all too much at times. we tend to give him a few presents today then 1 a week for a bit.

My boy Sam is great, coming along fine and doing great at his school. We have wonderful kids bud. I am so so proud of Sam.

If you ever want a chat about ASD or just our kids, then PM me. We attend a lot of groups and courses. My wife works for an ASD charity. And there are a lot of fun nights on at play centres every week.
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Thanks mate that would certainly be something I would like to do. I have done some work for local autistic groups and charities myself. There are some fantastic help groups around :)

My son is just starting to get into reading which is great, though he tends to tell me what letters are not there rather than read what is :)
 
Darth Toffeeman said:
Thanks mate that would certainly be something I would like to do. I have done some work for local autistic groups and charities myself. There are some fantastic help groups around :)

My son is just starting to get into reading which is great, though he tends to tell me what letters are not there rather than read what is :)
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Brilliant.

Well done your boy for starting his reading.

Have a chat anytime bud. Just PM me and we can sort it out.
 

Darth Toffeeman said:
First Christmas without my dad.

Very hard to try and stay positive, but my dad was a great man who made sure I was always in good spirits. I have to try and do the same for my son now. He is 5 and he is autistic so Christmas is a little different with him. He is not as excited about loads of presents, in fact it overwhelms him.

He is still full of smiles though and is having a lovely day. If I can somehow make him as proud of me as I am of my own late father then I won't have gone to far wrong.

Merry Christmas to all. Life is about a mixture of ups and downs but try and be positive, even when things seem so awful. You never know what tomorrow may bring and there will be lots more good times ahead. X
Click to expand...

helpimonfire said:
My boy is also aged 5 and autistic. Today has been good, even though the change has got to him a bit. It is all too much at times. we tend to give him a few presents today then 1 a week for a bit.

My boy Sam is great, coming along fine and doing great at his school. We have wonderful kids bud. I am so so proud of Sam.

If you ever want a chat about ASD or just our kids, then PM me. We attend a lot of groups and courses. My wife works for an ASD charity. And there are a lot of fun nights on at play centres every week.
Click to expand...

I do voluntary work for the disabled charity Scope. A big part of it is supporting men with children with special needs including autism. The stats for the parents of a child with a disability or special needs splitting up are horrendous and it's usually the man who walks away for numerous reasons, but nine times out of ten it centres around men bottling up their emotions over their kid. You may not be aware,but there's a brand new tier of nurses been created this year at Alder Hey, who are in effect 80% Social Worker and 10% Nurse. The role has been created to try and address the incredible pressures placed on families with kids who are different. They have made an approach to Everton in the Communty with a view of getting them on board and backing this new service. I'll keep you all posted if and when anything happens . Keep up the good work lads. My youngest son ( 5 next birthday ) was born without us knowing he was going to be disabled and I wouldn't change him for the world. Please pm me if there's anything you want to talk about. Great stuff, keep posting.
 
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COYBL25 said:
I do voluntary work for the disabled charity Scope. A big part of it is supporting men with children with special needs including autism. The stats for parents of a child with a disability or special needs splitting up are horrendous and it's usually the man who walks away for numerous reasons, but nine times out of ten it centres around men bottling up their emotions over their kid. You may not be aware,but there's a brand new tier of nurses been created this year at Alder Hey, who are in effect 80% Social Worker and 10% Nurse. The role has been created to try and address the incredible pressures placed on families with kids who are different. They have made an approach to Everton in the Communty with a view of getting them on board and backing this new service. I'll keep you all posted if and when anything happens . Keep up the good work lads. My youngest son ( 5 next birthday ) was born without us knowing he was going to be disabled and I wouldn't change him for the world. Please pm me if there's anything you want to talk about. Great stuff, keep posting.
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An amazing post yet again my friend. You are just awesome. Merry Christmas to you and yours mate :)
 

First of all, what an amazing thread to find on a footie forum and what amazing people you all are who post. The honesty and compassion I've found here make me so proud to be a football fan and particularly an Evertonian - and most of all proud of being a human being, because everyone here cares so much and makes the effort to help and support. Should be more of it ...

I was first medicated for depression in my mid teens. I'm now 54 and still medicated, so that's a good 40 years of living with this dis-ease. For all the younger people here and it seems there are quite a few, this is an illness you can live with and can come to terms with too. It doesn't feel fair, just like being born with any physical disabilty isn't fair. But we can and will accept our particular disability and live our lives as richly as anyone else. xx
 
RetroCat said:
First of all, what an amazing thread to find on a footie forum and what amazing people you all are who post. The honesty and compassion I've found here make me so proud to be a football fan and particularly an Evertonian - and most of all proud of being a human being, because everyone here cares so much and makes the effort to help and support. Should be more of it ...

I was first medicated for depression in my mid teens. I'm now 54 and still medicated, so that's a good 40 years of living with this dis-ease. For all the younger people here and it seems there are quite a few, this is an illness you can live with and can come to terms with too. It doesn't feel fair, just like being born with any physical disabilty isn't fair. But we can and will accept our particular disability and live our lives as richly as anyone else. xx
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Thanks for posting this mate, and thank you for your kind words to all that post (and read) this thread.

You talk of other's honesty, but you must be credited too, not only with telling your story but also giving hope to the many who like you live with this disease. The fact that you can be positive about it will give hope and encouragement to many people reading it. Thanks and Merry Christmas (a little late)
 
RetroCat said:
First of all, what an amazing thread to find on a footie forum and what amazing people you all are who post. The honesty and compassion I've found here make me so proud to be a football fan and particularly an Evertonian - and most of all proud of being a human being, because everyone here cares so much and makes the effort to help and support. Should be more of it ...

I was first medicated for depression in my mid teens. I'm now 54 and still medicated, so that's a good 40 years of living with this dis-ease. For all the younger people here and it seems there are quite a few, this is an illness you can live with and can come to terms with too. It doesn't feel fair, just like being born with any physical disabilty isn't fair. But we can and will accept our particular disability and live our lives as richly as anyone else. xx
Click to expand...

Welcome mate. Great post and please continue to come on here as I'm sure your experiences can only be of benefit to others on here.
 
RetroCat said:
First of all, what an amazing thread to find on a footie forum and what amazing people you all are who post. The honesty and compassion I've found here make me so proud to be a football fan and particularly an Evertonian - and most of all proud of being a human being, because everyone here cares so much and makes the effort to help and support. Should be more of it ...

I was first medicated for depression in my mid teens. I'm now 54 and still medicated, so that's a good 40 years of living with this dis-ease. For all the younger people here and it seems there are quite a few, this is an illness you can live with and can come to terms with too. It doesn't feel fair, just like being born with any physical disabilty isn't fair. But we can and will accept our particular disability and live our lives as richly as anyone else. xx
Click to expand...
I totally agree with the honesty and compassion in this thread, it is heart warming and I know rewarding.
I will also mention the bravery of people who are comfortable and confident enough to share the problems and issues that have been handed out to them in life.
I firmly belive it is good to talk...
 

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