How do you guys develop thick skins??

[wakeupcall]

I'm SO thankful I belong to this board. You girls made me laugh like I've not laughed in mmmmmmm.....maybe a year!!! You are SO funny!!! My difficult child calls me names every day. I guess I've gotten a little tougher, but it's HARD!! When he was 3-4 his favorite name for me was dork-a^^!! Yep, called me that like it was my given name. My grown daughter still laughs over it, but it sure wasn't funny at the time!

 

[jodyice]

I still haven't developed a thick skin after all this time. It hurts. I'm not good at the detachment thing either, whereas, husband is good at detaching. I try to go into another room at times, but difficult child's right there continuing on. Although he don't *say* f'ng b**ch, he has signed "f*u b**ch", he's also signed "idiot", "I want you to die", "I hate you", "I want a new mom", etc. I've tried consequencing him till I'm blue in the face, after he's cooled down, sometimes it has worked, sometimes not.

 

[SearchingForRainbows]

Busywend & Linda,

Thanks for making me laugh :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:!!! Ok, I'll admit this here, BUT, only here... Yes, there have been days when I'm :smile: all alone, in the basement, no one else home, except my sanity saver (and she won't tell!!!), I've actually screamed F*CK YOU difficult children on the top of my lungs!!! Luckily for me, my doorbell has never rung at these less than "Leave It To Beaver" type moments... WFEN

 

[Sunlight]

when he swears stop dead in your tracks. look at him with no emotion. tell him in a low quiet voice that you will not respond to him at all when he uses bad language.

walk away.

expect him to rage a bit.

if he tells you to shut up. tell him you will. then do not speak to him no matter what. let him learn the meaning of being shut off.

perhaps he will never want you to shut up again.

the book is boundaries by townsend and cloud

you sound depressed because you feel you have no control. take back a strong determined control with no screaming.