Seriously starting to loose the plot, I have a 11yr old stepson, who has major attitude, backchatting and sarcastic smart arse remarks constantly, Which is leaving me at my wits end and snapping at him all the time. He has been diagnosed with a very mild form of Adhd and is on medication, But I feel there is more to the story then this as it doesnt seem to be making any difference, He sulks and sooks for hrs on end if he is told No or asked to do a chore. His father tends to treat him differently and have a different set of rules for him compared to my son and our joint son, We are constantly fighting over it all and are on the verge of splitting up as we both cannot handle the stress. We do only get to see him on school holidays atm and I am the main parent home with said child as Partner works nights, so I am left to deal with all the dramas with dinner etc. Can anyone help me with ways to cope with such a difficult child. He is constantly complaining of being bored and wants to only play video games on the comp or game consoles, which I only allow a limited amount of, and the computer I dont overly like him using as His mother recently caught him setting up email, skype and facebook accounts she did not know of and talking to unknown ppl. I dont want to loose my partner and split my family up, but If push comes to shove he has said he will always pick his son over us.
2 Replies
If he don't eat his meals dish it up for breakfast cold and tell him u wont put up with it u r that adult and ban him from all computer games yes it be hard but he gotta learn that adhd is not a reason to be a shit i know i have 2bous with it and make him give him self panishment.
My own son is 10years old, ADHD, has a step dad (older brother 13 ASD, 2 younger half brothers 3 & 2) it is a huge challenge most days. We are about to start a trial med for him, if meds aren't working maybe the pead should try something else?? I've noticed my son is great on his own but that's impossible with 4 kids. He has friends in the street he can play with which helps a lot. Can his dad do activities with him in the afternoon to burn off some energy - bike riding, mow the lawn to earn video game time? Give him $5 to walk to the bakery and buy lunch - gives you 1/2 hr of peace! honestly I wouldn't split up your family if it's only holidays you have him, I understand it's hard but think what you and the other kids will lose - hang in there, he will be grown up in less than 10 years. Maybe look at some counselling for him and you (gp mental health plan gives you 10 visits for a psychiatrist with Medicare and only a small gap) it really can help. Good luck x