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artful5457
1 508 M Embraced 4
PathStep 1 Compassion hearts176 Forum posts18 Forum upvotes127 Current upvotes127 Age GroupAdult Last activeSeptember, 2026 Member sinceMay 6, 2021
Bio

I'm an artist and a mom to 2 under 3. It gets a little lonely sometimes.

Recent forum posts
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I wonder how people know
Autism Support / by artful5457
Last post
 September 8th
...See more I'm 35 and really just finding out about AuDHD. I feel like I've gotten so good at masking after doing it my whole life, but no matter what people always clock me as 'weird' and it bothers me that I can't really tell what I'm doing. I smile, make eye contact but not too much, listen and remember details, don't interrupt, make an effort to make others feel at ease. People come to me because they want to talk to me and get advice or a listening ear, so obviously I create a sense of comfort/safety. I've been the 'mom' since I was still a kid whether I want to or not, I'm just put in that role. But it frustrates me that no one will try to offer me support even when I ask. Or even just connection. Their responses are very clipped, hand waving and platitudes. They value when I take the time to talk deeply about their problems or make the effort to connect with them. They literally say so. So I'm confused why it's not reciprocated? At least not to me. I see these same people act that way with others, but not me.  I've actually learned not to say more than a sentence in group chats because everything will go quiet. And if I say anything I should wait a few days. Even just replying to something. Everyone will stop talking if I'm too visible. There has to be something about me or something I do that's causing people to act this way around me. I put in so much effort and just end up feeling used, and only sought out the next time someone can get something out of me.
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My baby crawled!
Positivity & Gratitude / by artful5457
Last post
 August 30th
...See more I had been feeling lonely lately despite my little family. Trying not to get too down on not having the community I thought I would. But today my baby boy finally crawled to us in the living room out of the blue. And I was so overjoyed. My life isn't perfect, but it's beautiful.
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Feeling loss
General Support / by artful5457
Last post
 August 30th
...See more It's a low night for me tonight (expected hormonal crash that's always worse at night, but still). I can't help feeling the profound loss of love in my life. My kids' great grandma passed earlier this year, luckily after seeing our son be born. Now no one checks in on them like she did. I'm not close with my own family (it's complicated) and my husband's family is small already. I don't have anyone to really share my motherhood with. Other than my husband's mom and brother, nearly no one else will be there with these memories. I feel like I'm not giving my kids that loving community around them. I don't have close friends, and since my issues with my family I can't even get more than a few sentences out of the relatives I still talk to. My friend of 15 years acts like I don't exist anymore and ignores the rare updates about my kids. No one is actively mean to me. They just... Don't care about me.
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Hi, New-ish here
Newbie Hub / by artful5457
Last post
 Sunday
...See more I've been here before briefly, but it's been so long my life is completely different now. So hi again! I'm honestly just looking for more connection in my life. Just a place to talk sometimes where others are actually listening and may even respond. I am married and have a wonderful person, but one person (and 2 very young children) can't be your entire social world, and I haven't had much luck building friendships. I still suffer from some issues, and it would be nice to have space to talk about those issues when things crop up. Or even just sharing positive things. Just some human interaction honestly...
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