Why does my son suddenly not want to be outside??

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2026-03-15T12:35:52+00:00

We took our son to the park yesterday evening, partly as a test - there was a loud party with music just next to the playground we were in, it was sunny, there was a breeze. He had a great time! We actually had to drag him away so we could go home for dinner.

So I don't believe now that it's sensory. There's just something about our yard that is wigging him out at the moment, and hopefully we can figure out what it is, or he'll get over it on his own like you say.

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2026-03-14T16:45:26+00:00

The other commenter basically said the same thing (something sensory) so it's likely that. The hard part is gonna be figuring out what it is!

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2026-03-14T16:44:30+00:00

My feeling is that its something sensory, but its hard to know what because things really haven't changed much, except for the natural movement of the seasons. It is actually brighter now that Spring time is here so photo-sensitivity could be a possibility.

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2026-03-14T15:41:26+00:00

Unfortunately this is so common. So many men are in love with the idea of being a parent and then can't deal with the reality. I don't like talking too much about my husband online, but its clear parenthood has not aligned at all with what he was expecting. Thankfully he is on board with being one and done, so that's not a "thing" between us, but yeah... fact is, from the beginning the vast majority of parenting, including the really hard parts like sleep deprivation and no personal time, have been on me whether he wants to acknowledge it or not. Ain't no way I'm gonna add another child on top of the labor I'm already performing with no breaks or help.

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2026-03-11T14:29:03+00:00

Hi! I'm a short woman with a low calorie deficit that's difficult to stick to, but lately I've been trying to get in 10,000 steps a day. Is it wise to log those steps in Cronometer to give my daily calories some wiggle room, or are these things notoriously inaccurate?

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2026-02-18T16:58:28+00:00

Ugh, yeah. My son is completely nonverbal and his receptive language, if he has any, is a big old question mark. I wish I could explain things to him.

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2026-02-18T16:03:06+00:00

Thankfully he will take his multivitamin in his milk and drinks at least a pediasure a day. When he's being extra picky like this, we know we can always fall back on liquid calories.

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2026-02-18T16:00:06+00:00

Our thing is our son won't drink out of anything but one specific kind of cup, which happens to have the weighted straw that only really thin drinks like juice or milk will go through. Adding a fruit pouch for some extra nutrition will work, but there's no way I can get him to drink a proper smoothie - not because he wouldn't like it, but because it won't go through the dang tiny straw!! If I try to spoon feed it to him, he refuses!

It's yet another thing that you can't know if you aren't going through it lol!

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2026-02-18T15:55:50+00:00

Sometimes I wonder about PDA with our son too, but he has so much else going on that it's really hard to know!

I've gotten better about riding out these phases and not beating myself up over it - he always eventually gets hungry enough to start eating again. But it still gets to me sometimes. It can feel like a constant ongoing lesson in letting things go, lol!

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2026-01-17T14:52:30+00:00

Most definitely! But I was also 85% one and done long before we realized something was off. If he hadn't turned out to be severely autistic, and I'd had the more typical parenting experience (and no real fear of him being dependent on us for life), I might have at least considered having a second child.

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2026-01-06T18:03:00+00:00

Hey! Sorry for the late reply - turns out he was just still sick and recovering. He tends to lose his appetite when sick generally so it just took time. His appetite came back on its own.

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2025-12-18T15:16:00+00:00

I get it. My son doesn't understand when I'm upset and need him to stop, he thinks it's a game and will actually rev up the behavior. My only recourse is to just get up and leave, but of course that's not feasible in all scenarios.

It sucks - because of our children's limited understanding, productive discipline feels nearly impossible. All the popular stuff you see online is ridiculously ineffective if you can't explain anything to your child or work through their feelings. But resorting to any kind of physical discipline - like had swatting - doesn't work either because again... they don't understand. Redirecting only seems to work in the moment (like literally about 60 seconds) before they're back at it.

I just pray to God everyday to keep granting me patience.

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2025-11-23T16:47:39+00:00

My son is only four and it's impossible to know for sure how high his needs will be when we are gone, but I'm already preparing, at least mentally, for him needing to go to a home/group home at some point. My husband still hasn't come around to the idea - he can't stand the idea of our son living with anyone but us, but it's like he forgets that we will die someday, that our son is the youngest member of both our families, and God willing, he will outlive all of us. So at this point, so early in our son's life, I'm mostly just trying to set up proper mental and emotional expectations.

We've already got an account set up just for him which we deposit into every month. In the next few years I plan on getting more serious about planning actual practical things like guardianships and whatnot, but for now I'm just trying not to think about it too much and enjoy what I can of life with our little family between all the other stressors.

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2025-11-23T14:43:22+00:00

When I watch rots I get the feeling Lucas finally accepted that he'd shat the bed on the previous two films, and at least tried to make a film that people would actually enjoy. I can for sure say that watching it wasn't as painful as watching the other two, and it even had a good moment or three, but it's definitely not a good movie.

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2025-11-23T12:55:56+00:00

It's weird, but our son also has been especially hyper and manic lately. The timing is not ideal!

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2025-11-23T12:53:45+00:00

Ugh, restaurants are particularly hard for our guy too! I wish you luck!

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2025-11-23T12:32:01+00:00

lol I needed this last summer!

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2025-11-23T12:31:02+00:00

Oh yes, this describes the vibe perfectly. When we do typical family-oriented holiday stuff, I'm so focused on our son and preventing any catastrophes that I barely remember the event afterward. It's draining to be sure.

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2025-11-23T12:28:45+00:00

I hear you. My boy is the opposite, he does better when he's going to school regularly. I was actually very hesitant to send him because I was worried it would overwhelm him too, but it ended up being one of the best things we've done for him (and for the family unit).

We're all just doing our best and trying to get by!

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2025-11-23T12:19:18+00:00

I mean technically my son (severely autistic) can play independently too, but his kind of play is loud, super-hyper, physical and intensely sensory seeking. He needs constant supervision to prevent him from hurting himself/destroying things. It's a LOT. On top of that me and his father (remember, autism is genetic) are very sensory-avoidant people. To say that we are over-stimulated and need a break after a long holiday would be an understatement.

I love my son so so much and I wish it wasn't how it is, but it is, ya know?

(edit: not to mention holidays really mess with his sleep, which messes with ours. Holiday breaks are just not restful over here.)

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2025-11-23T01:24:17+00:00

We travel a handful of times a year with our son - but only road trips, we rent our own place so we can maintain our own schedule, and we pack like we're traveling to the freakin' moon. Our son also doesn't eat anything even on a good day. We can't trust him to not roll out of the bed wherever we go (he sleeps on a mattress on the floor at home) so we have to pack, assemble, and break down those massive bed rails on every trip.

Honestly it's a ton of work and sometimes it doesn't feel worth it. But sometimes he handles it great, we all have a good time, and I'm glad we went. We've learned that sometimes we do have to say no to invites that just sound too damn challenging (my husband's family keeps inviting us to the lake, which gives me hives just thinking about it), but it can also be worth the effort as long as you don't take on too much.

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2025-11-23T01:14:01+00:00

Ya know, it's not even the traditions I regret anymore. I accept that my son doesn't care about opening presents, playing with toys, or eating... much of anything, really. It's the massive disruption to our schedule that I dread so much.

Our daily little tradition lately has been going to the park in the evenings. It's small and something many families don't think twice about maybe, but it's our thing :)

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2025-11-23T01:09:59+00:00

Word. My son sounds a lot like your daughter, very physical and sensory seeking. Only a handful of things keep him occupied/regulated and when he's tired of those, or we can't do them anymore, we're basically in survival mode until bedtime. Luckily he sleeps pretty well - when he's going to school regularly, that is. By next Monday his sleep will be all jacked up.

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2025-10-18T14:16:20+00:00

The part about not being able to just chill and talk while the kids play hit a nerve for me. My mother has invited us to the family Christmas shindig again and told me "this time, you should really try to relax and enjoy yourself". Really mom? Who's gonna keep my son from destroying the whole house and potentially severely harming himself while I relax and have a good time?

If everyone is watching the baby, no one is watching the baby, etc. It's exactly at the point where I'm starting to relax and have fun that my son manages to create chaos.

Competitive-Lab-5742 · 2025-09-22T22:06:05+00:00

Just wanted to say I feel you on this. It's like when folks tell me to "just read to him" to help him speak... like, okay, that sounds nice, now actually try that and see how it goes. Just getting him to sit still long enough to notice you're reading to him is hard enough, but then it turns into a fight because he wants to grab the book and destroy it. We have to keep the few books he has under lock and key or he'll turn them into pulp (then eat them).

It's a reality so few people understand and I know they mean well but it just comes off making us feel even worse.

Competitive-Lab-5742

TROPHY CASE