Stealing from us again!

Albatross

Well-Known Member
Oh Overstressed, I'm so sorry to hear what has happened with your son. How terrifying and so very, very sad for you to see your son like that.

It does not sound coldhearted at all. I hope you are able to get some peace and he is able to get to a safe spot where he can get his emotions under control, wherever that may be.
 

overstressed

New Member
I think the biggest reason they did do anything was the fact that when the cop ask him about the suicide threat he said it was just for attention. Now he text a couple times a day wanting something and I tell him that he needs to realize that a no contact order means just that.
 

2much2recover

Well-Known Member
Save the texts to show he breaking the order, but do not reply. Act like you never received them. If you would rather, look in your phone and see if you can block the number he is texting from. Also, I was thinking about it - since he wanted the gun have you thought about wither removing it from the home so he can not steal it and harm some one with it, or carry it with you at all times?
 

overstressed

New Member
I have several rifles and pistols but they are kept locked in a gun safe that weighs anout 800 lbs, plus we have a monitored security system so I'm not really worried about the guns. When he has text me it was asking for food and cigarettes. I did leave a couple of bags of groceries with the friends he's stay with, but I did not have any direct contact with my son. I feel bad and I won't let him starve but he's not eating steak either.
Thanks so much, Stressed
 

Scent of Cedar *

Well-Known Member
He called before I got home because he left his phone in my truck so I take it back and he gets into my truck and refuses to get out. Then he starts talking about suicide so I tell him I'm taking him to the hospital. When we're almost there he flips out screaming and cussing me. He then kick my windshield and bust it the punches me in eye. I pulled over and attempted to get him out but he refused so I go on to the hospital. I walk in and ask for security and he takes off on foot. The police were called and he was arrested about 20 minutes later. I spend the night in the er getting my eye sewn up.

That sounds really scary.

I am so glad you refused to give him a gun.

There was a thread here once about how difficult children do tend to act up around birthdays, holidays, any happy occasion.

I am glad you are alright.

Cedar
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
72 hours is a joke, Lil. Nothing can be accomplished in such a short amount of time and most of our difficult children don't want to stay there so they say the right things and get released. It is sad that our mental health system has come to this.
 

2much2recover

Well-Known Member
The next time you drop off food, drop off directions to the food banks and homeless services for a hot meal. Because he has violently abused you, he needs to figure out how to deal with his presumably homelessness as it is no longer safe for any of his family to be around. I feel so bad that you are in this situation and I hope you are able to find the strength to cut ties for the time being, at least until he
 

Lil

Well-Known Member
72 hours is a joke, Lil.

Well it's better than just letting them bond out in a few hours!

I agree with 2M2R...giving him food is one thing, but telling him where to go to get more food and assistance is better.

You remain in my thoughts. Hang in there.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
I think the biggest reason they did do anything was the fact that when the cop ask him about the suicide threat he said it was just for attention.
No doubt. For difficult children, it is their go-to threat when nothing else is working and since he admitted it, no hospital will take him. It's only if the person is actively suicidal or homicidal. He pretty much admitted he isn't.

I'm so sorry you are going through this. And, as always, I'm amazed at how difficult children seem to all use the same sort of deceit, violence (either in words, against us, against themselves, or against property to try to manipulative us. What's with the adult tantrums? I never did get that.

You are in my thoughts.
 

overstressed

New Member
I've already given him the address of the shelters and local food banks. Where he's staying isn't in town and he's burnt too many bridges to get much help from very many of his friends. I warned him about abusing his friendships years ago.
 

recoveringenabler

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Burning his bridges seems like typical difficult child behavior. That's what they do. However, they usually find new "friends" fast enough. And truthfully, I am always amazed at their resourcefulness. Hang in there overstressed. Keep posting.........
 

overstressed

New Member
Well last night I got a call from a # I hadn't seen before and it ended up being my son. All he wanted was money to help contribute where he was staying according to him. I told him I wouldn't give it to him, that I had given him money in the past and knew what would happen. Then he proceeded to tell me that I had to help him because I put him out with nothing, that all of this was my fault, that I wasn't being a dad. I told him I guess he needed to find a job. He then says we'll find me a place to live, I tell him I will when you find a job so you can pay for it, and that the last time I tried to help him that I ended up with stitches in my face. Which he says was also my fault. I then tell him I guess it was I should have had him arrests years ago, his next words were F$$$ you. That was when I hung up on him and he didn't call back. I have figured out that about every 6-7 days he will go on one of his rants raising h3ll at me because I put him out and I'm not supporting him, that it wasn't his fault that he stole from me because he was high and that I should have supported him to get him clean insted of turning my back on him.
Stressed
 

Scent of Cedar *

Well-Known Member
I told him I wouldn't give it to him

That is so hard. You did the right thing.

Then he proceeded to tell me that I had to help him because I put him out with nothing, that all of this was my fault, that I wasn't being a dad.

That is not true. You are being the dad you have to be when your child is following a wrong path. Though it would be easier to throw money at the situation, the only way we can really help our children is to help them wake up.

Your son is destroying himself.

He needs to stop.

That was when I hung up on him and he didn't call back

I am glad he did not call back.

You did a very hard thing very well.

I am sorry for the hurt of it.

You can do this.

I should have supported him to get him clean insted of turning my back on him.

This is a perfect opening to say: Treatment or nothing.

Keep phone numbers for Social Services, and for Crisis Lines written beside the phone or in your pocket. That way, you will have something to remind you what to say when he calls again.

Which he will.

Our addicted children are in traps that we cannot get them out of. The more we help them, the worse the addiction becomes because that is the nature of addiction.

I am so sorry you find yourself in this position.

You are a good father. Such a good father, and we know how much you love your son.

I am sorry for the hurt of it.

You did good.

Cedar
 

overstressed

New Member
Thank you Cedar, I know he will call back many more times but I fail to see how he has not started to realize the fact at 20 years old he needs to do for himself. I went in the military straight out of high school and was married at 20. I just can't see where this lack of maturity, respect and refusal to be self sufficient in a lot of today youth come from. I have a nephew the 19 his parent divorced when he was young,his mom my younger sister by 10 years went through a spell with drugs when she was younger and lost custody. His dad was a piece of work/ drunk, my nephew moved out at 17 and got a job, finished school and went to college. He's had a rough family life. My son who has not had to deal with any of these problems turned out just the opposite. I just don't get it.
Stressed
 

recoveringenabler

Well-Known Member
Staff member
I just don't get it.

None of us get it. However, it is the truth we must learn to accept, or we proceed at our own peril. Staying in the zone of not really believing it could be this outrageous, leaves us defenseless to the manipulations and guilt and blame our troubled kids lay at our doorstep. It appears to me that they stop the blame, the manipulations and the guilt when we refuse to accept any of that behavior and stop believing on any level whatsoever that we caused this or are responsible for it. We did not cause it, we are not responsible for it. When we are absolutely clear on that, we then provide strong impenetrable boundaries which they can not get through and then they (often) begin to "get it" that we will not tolerate their antics anymore.

If your son is calling every 6-7 days, a strategy that usually works is to not answer the phone, to let it go to voice mail. Allow time to pass, don't engage with him. The crisis they perceive which they want to drag you into, will pass. If you do that enough, he will eventually stop calling to abuse you.

We parents need to respond very differently to our troubled kids. His realization that it is entirely up to him is going to take some time.......and the truth is, he may not realize it. However, I have seen a direct correlation between when we stop responding to their tirades and manipulations and that behavior stopping. It takes us time to do that because we continue to believe if we just do this one thing, this one time, that will be the deciding factor and he/she will change. I think as parents we have to go through that and keep trying until we recognize that our trying is not helping at all. Once we come to that, then we have to stop. Stop giving them money, stop enabling them, stop listening to the ABUSE they dish out, stop allowing ANY bad behavior from them. We have to train them to treat us properly or remove them from our sphere. Not to say you don't love them, of course you do, not to say you won't help him if he cleans up his act, of course you will, but to make it absolutely clear, even to him, the MOST casual observer, that you will not tolerate disrespect, dishonesty, blame and manipulations of any sort.

Often the kids don't change. It is our response to them that changes. And, generally speaking, that changes everything.

I don't remember if I told you about the article on detachment at the bottom of my post here. And, also, many of us derive comfort and support from 12 step groups like Al Anon and Families Anonymous. This is a treacherous path for us parents, likely the most difficult thing most of us have to face, it is not for the faint of heart...........it helps us tremendously to seek out support in whatever form that takes for you.

I am very sorry you are going through this with your son. You're in the right place. We've all been there. Sending you warm thoughts, hang in there, it does get better.......
 

Tanya M

Living with an attitude of gratitude
Staff member
Those are not fun phone calls to get. I've had my share too.
I fail to see how he has not started to realize the fact at 20 years old he needs to do for himself
My difficult child is 33 and still does not get it. I've been dealing with mine since he was 14.

You did a great job in dealing with him when he called.

Then he proceeded to tell me that I had to help him because I put him out with nothing, that all of this was my fault, that I wasn't being a dad.
Please don't buy into his rant. His situation is not your fault, he caused it by his own poor choices.
Our difficult child's use our love for them as blackmail. They try to make us feel guilty in hopes that we will give them money, bail them out, pay their rent, buy them food, etc............... When in reality these are things they should be doing for themselves. It's just so much easier for them to blame us, the parents than to admit they have screwed up. They want to believe they are smarter than us.

I just don't get it.
There is not rhyme or reason as to why and how our children get their lives so off track. You will drive yourself crazy trying to figure it out.

Know that you are not alone. There are many here that have been through it.
Hang in there!!!
 

2much2recover

Well-Known Member
Well Overstressed you have just experienced what is called in psychological terms Gas-lighting. I am going to go ahead and copy and paste what I wrote to another member because it fits you situation as well:
Perhaps it would help if you had an explanation of gas-lighting: Gas-lighting or gas-lighting is a form of mental abuse in which false information is presented with the intent of making victims doubt their own memory, perception, and sanity.

Most everyone here has been through gas-lighting. It is the lies, the distortions, the manipulating of facts. It is both emotional and mental abuse. It is used by difficult children to get you to do,for the difficult child, anything you would not reasonably do for another "normal" person. It is used to cause what you are going through right now: doubting yourself and scaring yourself with all the what-ifs. It is the never-ending merry-go-round that we stay on until we recognize that we have no control over what difficult child does, says they are going to do or the consequences of THEIR own actions.

I would hazard a guess that gas-lighting works so well against most of us here because we are loving, caring and nurturing. These things about us are well known by the difficult child and so they use those very compassionate qualities against us by saying things that, when believed, leave us doubting ourselves, who we really are, and feeling emotionally devastated when accused by difficult child of being anything but an ideal parent. Probably the hardest part of not falling into the trap of gas-lighting is to begin to believe in ourselves enough, know ourselves enough, to not fall for gas-lighting.

These difficult child's say horrible, vile, and disgusting things to manipulate us into feeling bad enough about ourselves to give the difficult child whatever they want at any given moment. Most difficult children lack the empathy to understand the things they say are so hateful and hurtful. It is if gas-lighting by the difficult child is the baby crying for the pacifier. Yeah, real mature!

It is probably the most helpful for you to understand that the intensity of the feelings you are experiencing has been brought about by the gas-lighting of your difficult child just to position you where you are now. If you don't "feel bad" for difficult child, just how is he going to get you to keep coughing up the money? What "other skill-set" does he have for providing for himself? He gas-lights you because like the rat in the cage he has found that pushing the gas-lighting button, if he pushes it enough times he is going to get a pay off. In fact as you stop falling for gas-lighting expect the threats, the manipulations and the abuse to ratchet up because gas-lighting you has worked for far too long and darn he knows that if he just gas-lights you with the right amount of hate and hurt - you will give in.

Read more: http://www.conductdisorders.com/com...r-old-homeless-son.58921/page-2#ixzz3QEsMGYPK

Also consider changing your phone number and just updating everyone else on what the new number is. If you don't want to go that far, block the numbers he calls and texts you from or put his name with the number under contacts so YOU decide when to talk, not him. If you need the number and often have unknown numbers calling you, as soon as you hear his voice when you answer, hang up and add that number to the contacts under his name.

Again I am so sorry you are going through this right now. Stay safe. I hope you are keeping track of all these calls to show the Prosecutor/Judge that he is not following the No Contact Order.
 
Top