<span style='font-family: Comic Sans MS'> </span> My 13 year old difficult child is so defiant it is unbelievable. He truly thinks that, since summer began, he does not have to come home at all and can roam about and stay at friend's homes all summer. He was diagnosed with ODD which truly came out last night. He called me at 9:15 last night after leaving at 8:30 yesterday morning for the day. He told me he was sleeping at a friends house. I said no, that we have a law that he needs to be home at 9:30 and he needed to come home immediately.
It was a shouting match to the bitter end. He did come home, but says he hates me and I'm ruining his life by making him come home every night at 6 for dinner and 9:30 for the night.
He thinks I'm being unreasonable, that most parents of kids his age let them stay away and do not make them come home for dinner or for the night to sleep. He keeps saying he wants to live with his dad because there are no rules, that his dad will let him come and go as he pleases.
I work full time but am home by 3:50 in the afternoon. I do have a girl come to the house to make sure things are ok. the 13 year old fights so much with his younger brother (11 years old). Unfortunately, the 11 year old is much more mature and trustful than the 13 year old.
Am I unreasonable in my rules of coming home? Do all these kids nowadays tell parents what they are doing instead of asking? How do I get my son to cooperate, short of calling the police (which I was about to do last night--put a little scare into him).
I don't want my son to go down the wrong path in life. He hates school, me, his step dad, his brother. He likes his hair and his friends and that is it (or so he says). He said he would rather live in a cardboard box than with me. He says he will cut grass for money and live off this.
He has hurt me beyond words, but I am seriously concerned about his mental state and the fact that he doesn't care. I feel like I will be bailing him out of jail shortly; this feels like the path his life is going.
any help/suggestions are appreciated. We have a therapist, but my difficult child just sits there.
It was a shouting match to the bitter end. He did come home, but says he hates me and I'm ruining his life by making him come home every night at 6 for dinner and 9:30 for the night.
He thinks I'm being unreasonable, that most parents of kids his age let them stay away and do not make them come home for dinner or for the night to sleep. He keeps saying he wants to live with his dad because there are no rules, that his dad will let him come and go as he pleases.
I work full time but am home by 3:50 in the afternoon. I do have a girl come to the house to make sure things are ok. the 13 year old fights so much with his younger brother (11 years old). Unfortunately, the 11 year old is much more mature and trustful than the 13 year old.
Am I unreasonable in my rules of coming home? Do all these kids nowadays tell parents what they are doing instead of asking? How do I get my son to cooperate, short of calling the police (which I was about to do last night--put a little scare into him).
I don't want my son to go down the wrong path in life. He hates school, me, his step dad, his brother. He likes his hair and his friends and that is it (or so he says). He said he would rather live in a cardboard box than with me. He says he will cut grass for money and live off this.
He has hurt me beyond words, but I am seriously concerned about his mental state and the fact that he doesn't care. I feel like I will be bailing him out of jail shortly; this feels like the path his life is going.
any help/suggestions are appreciated. We have a therapist, but my difficult child just sits there.
