I don't know how it works in the States/ Florida, but we get respite too from social development. We are alloted so many hours per child. What's stressful about it is that if we don't use those hours, we lose them. There are some months that I could survive without, while other months I could really use more hours.
I wish they were a bit more flexible. But I have to make sure I use the hours. I do think that they overdepend on their respite- more and more they have been putting Abbies care onto everyone around them
With us, we also don't have family to help. I never see the grandparents take abbie. I have compassion here, because its so hard. I am pretty afraid of my youngest kid living forever with us, still needing all the care done by us.
I'm not saying it's easy, and I have talked too long, but A and P seem to have completely checked out at this point. I wish they'd put work into Abbies skills so she could live successfully in a care home. (I really think that's in her future, just my opinion).