It's the end of spring break and my stepson will soon be home from visiting his mother for the week. My husband misses his son and is anxious for him to get back. He worries when the biomother has his son, since she's bad news. Me, I'm anxious for another reason. It's been such a quiet, peaceful week and I'm not looking forward to the war at home resuming. We've only been married for about nine months, and since then I've sunk into a deep depression from living in such an embattled household. My stepson has adhd, odd and I strongly suspect there's a bit more wrong than that given his behavior, especially given the history of mental illness on his mother's side. Every conversation with him becomes an argument. Even when we're not having a conversation, he's still talking -- constantly talking to himself from morning to night. But that's not even the half of it. We've tried it all: medications, counseling, Special Education, and a million different tactics at home, but nothing makes things better for more than a week or two. Sometimes I think about leaving, but my husband is the best thing to ever happen to me. I was never the mom type, but I feel like I must be the worst mother ever because I really just can't stand my child. I've tried to take an active role in parenting him, but lately I feel so defeated I just want to hide from him or get an evening shift job so I won't see him at all.