My stepson has been diagnosed with Disruptive Behavior Disorder. I was searching online for different characteristics, coping techniques, and parenting suggestions and I stumbled across this website. My stepson does not live with his father and I currently because his father is in jail. He doesn't live with his mother either because years ago she found she couldn't handle him. He just barely turned 8 and his behavior has progressively gotten worse over the years. Here are few examples:
1) He is setting fires inside the house. His great grandmother is his primary caregiver right now and she is coming up on 80 years old. She has a gas stove that he was setting the fires near.
2) He has hit his great grandmother and frequently balls his fists up like he is going to hit her again. She made him mad one time and he jumped on her. She had just gotten home from the hospital where she was recovering from a fall during which she broke her sternum.
3) He has pooped on the bathroom rug
4) He hit my daughter on the head when she was 4 or 5 months old
5) He bullies other children at school, boys and girls alike
6) He has caught a toad and let the dogs bite the toad while he sat there laughing at it. If the dogs got too aggressive, he would back them off so they wouldn't kill it, but it was obviously suffering. I don't know how long this was going on before I caught him.
7) He has gone to school saying that he wants to kill himself and has held a knife to his throat threatening to kill himself.
The list goes on and on. His father, like any parent, wants to be with his son when he comes home but I am scared to death for myself and our two babies. He resents me and the two children I have with his father and does annoying things all the time in his endless quest for attention. As he gets older, he gets more violent and I am fearful for the health and safety of my babies when we are all together under the same roof. I know when you marry someone that their children are a package deal and you are supposed to love those children as though they were your own but, as awful as it sounds, I don't. I'm scared of what he could do to my babies. Right now, I am staying at my grandmother's until my husband gets out of jail. When he gets out, his son can't stay here and he told me in a letter today that since his son can't stay here, we will move in with his grandmother until we get on our feet so he can be with his son. Yet again, I have to uproot my babies and myself two more times. Once when we move to his grandmother's and once when we get our house situated. I don't know what other option I have. I love my husband and he's convinced his son will change once he gets the attention from his dad that he's seeking. I'm not convinced he will. I think he will wind up hurting one of my children and that sounds like a pretty high price to pay if my husband is wrong.
My stepson has had more challenges in his life than most 8 year olds. Both of his parents have been in and out of jail, but his grandparents are stable and have been there to care for him while his parents are gone.
My husband has full custody of him so he will be living with us full time when my husband gets home. Can someone please talk with me about this? I am agonizing over this. God bless!
1) He is setting fires inside the house. His great grandmother is his primary caregiver right now and she is coming up on 80 years old. She has a gas stove that he was setting the fires near.
2) He has hit his great grandmother and frequently balls his fists up like he is going to hit her again. She made him mad one time and he jumped on her. She had just gotten home from the hospital where she was recovering from a fall during which she broke her sternum.
3) He has pooped on the bathroom rug
4) He hit my daughter on the head when she was 4 or 5 months old
5) He bullies other children at school, boys and girls alike
6) He has caught a toad and let the dogs bite the toad while he sat there laughing at it. If the dogs got too aggressive, he would back them off so they wouldn't kill it, but it was obviously suffering. I don't know how long this was going on before I caught him.
7) He has gone to school saying that he wants to kill himself and has held a knife to his throat threatening to kill himself.
The list goes on and on. His father, like any parent, wants to be with his son when he comes home but I am scared to death for myself and our two babies. He resents me and the two children I have with his father and does annoying things all the time in his endless quest for attention. As he gets older, he gets more violent and I am fearful for the health and safety of my babies when we are all together under the same roof. I know when you marry someone that their children are a package deal and you are supposed to love those children as though they were your own but, as awful as it sounds, I don't. I'm scared of what he could do to my babies. Right now, I am staying at my grandmother's until my husband gets out of jail. When he gets out, his son can't stay here and he told me in a letter today that since his son can't stay here, we will move in with his grandmother until we get on our feet so he can be with his son. Yet again, I have to uproot my babies and myself two more times. Once when we move to his grandmother's and once when we get our house situated. I don't know what other option I have. I love my husband and he's convinced his son will change once he gets the attention from his dad that he's seeking. I'm not convinced he will. I think he will wind up hurting one of my children and that sounds like a pretty high price to pay if my husband is wrong.
My stepson has had more challenges in his life than most 8 year olds. Both of his parents have been in and out of jail, but his grandparents are stable and have been there to care for him while his parents are gone.
My husband has full custody of him so he will be living with us full time when my husband gets home. Can someone please talk with me about this? I am agonizing over this. God bless!