Craving alone time

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I work Monday->Friday 8:30am until 5:30pm, most Saturdays 8:30am until 11:30am. I live with my other half, who is currently (coming to the end of) on Maternity Leave, and our 5 month old daughter. I have 2 sons (9 and 7, the latter of which is Autistic too) from a previous Marriage who are with me 2 out of 3 weekends. I love them all, and sincerely care about all of them deeply, but I seem to spend so many of my waking hours craving and wishing for time all to myself; almost fantasising about having a whole day in the house (definitely nowhere else) all alone, including waking up alone, and going to sleep at the end of the day alone too. It's something I never get. All I do get is a couple of hours in the evening once my other half has gone to bed to catch up on some TV and play a bit of PlayStation if I don't fall asleep on the sofa.

I wouldn't want to do anything special, or go anywhere, in fact I'd want to stay in my Living Room all day, watching Movies, playing PlayStation and just enjoying my own company. I feel guilty that I long for this so much, and hope that it is just because it's something I never get to do, and miss (the last time I had days like that were years ago, before I was married and had the children.

Anyone else feel like this?

I live alone and work less than half the hours that you do, and still feel like I can't get enough alone time. I crave not only being alone, but having totally unstructured time with no demands put on me. And pretty much all I want to do during that time is browse the internet. It's not that I even enjoy being alone that much, I really don't enjoy it at all and I hate living alone. But I just feel so drained by having to interact with people.

Yeah, I think it's a pretty common feeling among parents, not just Aspies. My son, 2, has been pushing his bed time later and later, and I can just feel it eating into what little precious time I have left. I'm always torn after he goes to sleep. It's the only time I really have to spend with my wife, just the two of us, but God I would kill for some alone time too.

Glad I'm not the only one - it does make me feel selfish and guilty, and I try not to display or voice my thoughts to them, especially my children; it would be horrible for them to hear that their Dad doesn't want them around. That isn't the case, but it's how they'd see it, and thankfully I'm aware enough of their feelings and how it would come across to not say anything. I love spending time with them, I just also love being alone - I wish I could have every day twice; once with them and once by myself.... I'd also live twice as long(!)

My youngest Son, recently turned 7 and diagnosed Autistic very sweetly said to me the other night when I was putting him to bed, "Daddy, I do like you, but sometimes I just want to be by myself..." It made me smile and I told him I understood completely