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SS10 tried running away today

greyskies's picture

My partner went to go pick up SS10 at school this afternoon, and after about an hour of her being gone, I texted her to see what was up and if everything was alright.  School is only half a mile from home.  She told me that the staff was looking around for SS and couldn't find him.  I texted back if I could do anything to help and did not hear back.  She pulled into the driveway about 5 minutes later with him and SD13. 

Backstory.....SS was grounded earlier today for messing with his alarm clock this morning and trying to open its components apart to tamper with it.  My partner has gotten so firm with her expectations, that he is grounded automatically for disobeying the rules of the house (be decent, don't break things, don't cause trouble, etc.).  As a result, he is grounded almost twice to thrice a week.  He doesn't care about anything.  Many moons ago, we removed his electronic privileges, forbade him and SD13 from going even in the backyard (they were trespassing onto a neighbor's property once; destroyed toys we/our family members gifted them intentionally in mud; playing outside of authorized areas within our bounds so we could monitor them, etc.) -- we won't even take them out on the weekends anymore if they start the weekends being aggressive, violent, uncooperative, etc.  My partner even took his toys and put them away as incentive to work hard to improve and gain them back, to which he never has earned them back.  He has been in therapy for years.  My point being, anything you name, we've done it.

I have to assume he was upset about having to come home and sit bored in his room all day grounded.  That's just my idea.  I know these kids by now, and neither of them can handle a second of boredom and look to everyone to entertain them constantly (which we are very straightforward about NOT allowing or leaning into).  They also both just throw each other (or whoever) under the bus to avoid repurcussions. 

Anyways.... back to the story.... I asked my partner what happened when she came in the house.  The school said that he had taken off out a more inconspicuous door right after school ended.  A teacher spotted him walking away from the school and down an opposing road.  Not sure what else transpired, sort of don't care to inquire more anyways since I'm highly disengaged (wasn't always the case).  Partner is planning to contact the therapist.  

Honestly, I knew this day would come with SD13 or SS10.  Although.... I thought SD13 would do it first.  Lately, SS has been talking about how we should ''send him to prison."  He's also been alluding to wanting to be a thug or gangster basically.  He was suspended from school last week (or the week prior) for clogging and partially flooding the bathrooms.  My partner and I WFH, and I absolutely cannot have the SKs here while I work, as I need to be available to chat with clients all day.  As a result, on days like that, my partner takes SS into the car, parks at a boring spot in town and doesn't move for 8 hours until I'm done.  Yes, he has food and can go to the bathroom, but that's it.  She can get lots of work done on her phone.  He hates every minute of it but doesn't care to change.

At home, he's sort of learned to say the "right" things after he's had consequences, just to turn around and start right in again.  Just a few days ago it was, "I'm sorry.  I won't do that again."  Well, guess what? Fill in the blank!  

Me and my partner have both spoken to the SKs about how they're going to end up homeless and/or in prison if they continue down the paths they're on.  My partner is fully willing to let them suffer their own natural consequences and boot them out at 18 if they're continuing their antics.  We're just over this.  All the tools in the world not taken.  That's their choice, but some negative choices have negative consequences.  I'm waiting for the day when one of them messes with the wrong person and gets their @ss handed to them!  Rags, if you're reading, I am a long-time lurker and fondly remember reading your story when you were getting picked on.  :) Oh, and it's coming FAST!  SS has used the n-word before.  SS also openly makes fun of people based off their weight (he is very slim).  No amount of correcting and explaining why that's impolite gets through to him.

All the things I'm predicting have all come true thus far, just on a faster timeline than I actually anticiapted (and THAT timeline was relatively fast, too).  I wish something would put these kids in jail.  They do NOT belong in the general public, and I can imagine that will only get worse as they age.  Neither lack self awareness and really show that they care to improve.  

I once read that with kids with these types of behaviors, today is the best day you'll ever have, and ain't that the truth.  

Comments

Lillywy00's picture

They sound like a lot! 
 

May be easier said than done but with the consequences and enforcements of punishments also needs to have an abundance of encouragement (even small things like getting up and making the bed)  If they're punished 2-3 times a week then try positive reinforcement 20-30 times a week as well  

If you take away electronics perhaps consider age-appropriate time limit on consequences and an age appropriate physical activity like overseeing raking leaves from the pool etc because at 10-13 those kids have a lot of energy and steam to burn off so they don't release in a negative way. 
 

Good luck to y'all hire the best therapists (maybe attend some family sessions too) and tweak the meds if they take any. 
 

*Im not a licensed therapist so take this with a grain of salt 

Mominit's picture

What you're trying isn't working. So change the approach!

If he's into taking apart clocks, can you enroll him into a STEM class. Something to allow him to destroy and/or put things back together.  If you can channel his passion and trouble into something productive, he may get praise instead of nonstop punishment. When you have nothing to lose, why try?

And I agree, get them busy. Swim, walk, skate, rock climb ( pump up the risk brag). Let them out if punishment, into something physical, and see if it helps.

if all else fails, military school?

la_dulce_vida's picture

I couldn't agree more. If you have a kid with busy hands and a mischevious spirit, put them to work. There has to be an outlet or the kid will escalate his behaviors.

I wouldn't have him sitting in an empty room. I would have him doing yard work or volunteering or in an after school program.......or military school.

Rags's picture

A key learning for us was.... punishment has to be the kid's to suffer and not everyone else in the home.

Sentences, thousands upon thousands of them, physical meaningless labor, standing in the corner holding the walls together with their nose for countless hours.  One I had was moving a cubic yard of two of gravel back and forth across the yard in two buckets.  For countless hours.  Not droping a single stone with only very short and widely separated breaks.

Praise was not infrequent either.  But for sure, there was no notable reward for doing what I was supposed to do.  Doing what was supposed to be done was not rewarded. Reward came with above and beyond performance.

Military school is also a great option. It did wonders for me, my brother, my dad, and my kid.  Not that we had behavioral issues. None of us did.  What we all had was boredom that drove less than accepable performance.  THe structure and accountability was great for the four of us who had the opportunity.

Yesterdays's picture

Sounds like he's actually doing quite a lot of damage breaking things and destruction of property is quite serious and will get more serious too as he's ages. I agree with Mominit to encourage him to build extensive things. 

I also feel like every single time he breaks something he should be made to fix or rebuild the thing he bought. A direct consequence.

If he's breaking things the consequence needs to be replacing or fixing them and also apologies. 

You could try getting him a small type of job. Even paying him for some large house chores. Make it fun and allow himself to buy treats and toys,etc

ESMOD's picture

To be honest.. I get that your young stepkids are not angels.. but it sounds like they live in a prison already... it also sounds like they get a lot of verbal tearing down.. it feels like they just "exist" in punishment.. so the consequences have lost meaning.. they don't seem to be capable of ever doing anything right.. and so they never get any relief.

I am not sure what the therapists are telling you.. but maybe it's time for new therapists?  Maybe it's time to start figuring out how to work in some positive reinforcement.. when they happen to DO the RIGHT thing.. they are praised for that.. even if it's not a huge win.. perhaps if they see that it's possible to get a different reaction from the adults.. they might focus on trying to get that better reaction more often.

 

AgedOut's picture

perhaps instead of making his life nothing but anger and resentment you could take these interests he has and go with them. Your local college or HS might have a robotics program for chldren his age. Channel his fidget into something he can feel proud of instead of beating him down with punishments that the whole family is sffering through. 

 

He won't grow with only punishment, he also needs encouagement and positive adult interaction. 

greyskies's picture

Thanks all for the responses thus far.  I really want to stress we have tried every range of emotion, every tone, being firm and serious, being lighthearted.  I have not even begun to detail the behavior beyond this.  A few years ago, SS had hit a neighbor's dog with a shovel because it was near our fence (I was not dating my partner at this time).  SD once was scratching and touching SS's legs when they were sleeping together on a vacation in a hotel bed.  He asked her to stop and she wouldn't.  We explained to her why that was unacceptable and would possibly cause her legal issues just touching people without their permission in the future as an adult.  She stood there, no remorse.  She laughed.  She was furious and enraged that we made her sleep on the floor.  I ended up sleeping next to SS to protect him because the whole thing rubbed me the wrong way.  My partner was monitoring her all night. In the same hotel that SS later went on to call "garbage," despite us paying $1000 for a 3-night stay for a vacation for my partner's birthday.  

We took SD to the dentist a few weeks ago, and she was picking at her sweater and destroying the emblem on it.  My partner asked her nicely to stop, she continued, so my partner gathered the sweater and held onto it.  SD came rushing me (in public) and had her fist clenched and got mere inches away from me with intent to hit me but had stopped before she made the next move.  She has a history of stealing items from me, from her brother, both of them like to work together to do bad things together.  We have already applied through our state for disability services for SD.  However, SS did NOT qualify.  They both have been dx autistic and ADHD.  I don't doubt that they struggle internally, but they both like to hide behind their disorders, which we both explain is not acceptable.  Last year, SS had taken a chair and thrown it at a teacher and told them that he wasn't ''doing his f$cking stupid work sh!t" when asked to nicely.  He tried creating shards at school last year as well.  To our knowledge, nothing that extreme has happened this year, but just the same.  The teachers have told us that the kids seem to have improved more when I moved in, so it's very disheartening that this is still ''better'' behavior than prior.  We both used to be highly hands on (partner still is, I just withdrew due to feeling like I was being tormented and borderline abused), always motivating the kids, I would write them notes of encouragement (and still do but less frequently).  We use positive praise.  We had incentives using a points reward system in the house.  We'd award them points for doing a nice thing, doing the right thing, doing a household responsibility without being asked to, using good time management skill, etc.  When they earned enough points we could get them a treat or new toy.  The kids were STILL doing things like this.

My partner takes them out to exercise at the park and they complain or don't want to go play or socialize.  They don't want to get involved in activities at school.  We discussed getting them involved with the teachers already and getting a plan in place for next school year in regards to that.  We keep trying.  We asked them to find some clubs at school and talk to some teachers about joining.  No interest.  Neither wants a social life.  SS yelled at me and my partner once for considering moving somewhere else because he had ''friends'' here.  We asked him if he'd like to hang out with these ''friends'' and he said ''NO."  I suspect these are the same "friends" he was caught doing delinquent things with at school.  They make fun of kids at their school.  SD has been drawing guns in her notebook at school, which my partner has taken to the therapist.  They are supposedly looking into behavioral programs for her.  We also found an drawing of someone who we believe goes to their school.  In the drawing, there was a person laying down with red on their heads, and a gun near the bottom of the page, and I presumed the red was blood.  When asked about it, of course they stammer over their words and SD says, "That's just red hair! You're crazy! That's NOT blood!" 

If someone had a solution that was guaranteed to work, I don't think we'd be here still.  We are really just trying to mitigate the most damage done to other people while holding them accountable and still trying to encourage them where possible.  We don't have many available therapists here in the area.  They've already switched therapists a few times previously.  They get themselves kicked out of activities and camps.  Our local YMCA could not even support them last summer after our interview with them.  They said they would not take them.  They do not and will not comply with authority figures.  We are working on applying for the area's summer camp for those with disabilities/autism.  It's 10 weeks and they have lots of activities.  Last year we tried to apply as well but got waitlisted.  Despite that, I offered to enroll them in swim lessons.  A very firm "NO" and "that's boring!"  Despite all the complaining of being bored.  No babysitter wants them.  We're fortunate my partner's parents watch the kids once every month for our anniversary, for about 3-4 hours.  Even their psychiatrist said that she cannot really do much else at this point and recommends we see a child psychologist per referral.  The pyschiatrist believes they may have conduct disorder.  At the end of the day they are their own people and going to make their own choices regardless of what we keep trying to educate and reinforce.  Hopefully with more context you can understand the severity of the situation.

Also want to make clear we have a calendar on the fridge daily with a few household responsibilities for them to complete daily. Could be to make their bed, do a sweep of their room, take the trash out, even hygiene like wash hair, brush hair, wash their clothes.  They often get enraged if we remind them to brush their hair or tidy up.  Doesn't mean we give in and stop doing it.  We aren't unreasonable and leave some days empty so they can just have fun and take a break.  Me and partner rotate certain tasks like doing dishes amongst us all so they can practice now.  We try to keep them structured. With idle hands, they get into trouble worse than if they were given something to do.  They act incompetent despite us showing them calmly how to do things and breaking them down into smaller tasks to accommodate them.  It has to be intentional because they both have performed XYZ task before, whether in front of us, in private, and/or at school, etc. just fine.  "I don't know how to do thaaaaat" is the typical whine.  We will show them again and they just don't care and get so hostile.  They had prior privileges like Xbox but got revoked due to SS controlling SD's way of playing games and both of them disrespecting the console and remote, often just throwing it against hard surfaces when angered.  They get angry we have parental controls on TV.  They both have the opportunity to watch TV for 1 hour daily, up to 2 hours on weekends.  Still not good enough.  I had Neflix, Hulu, Max, etc. but SS doesn't want the TV any longer because there is no suitable TV show for him.  I told him watch something or don't, your choice.  SD and SS both try to actively seek out disturbing things and get angry we don't allow YouTube in the house for that reason.  They don't WANT to be decent people.  And no matter how much time you devote to them, they need more entertainment.  Boredom is not an excuse to be violent.  We've explained this to them.  I know many neurodivergent kids and adults who don't ever resort to violence or destruction and criminal activities.  I've also engaged SS in helping when we get new furniture so he can tinker and put things together with me.  They are not being ignored or confined 24/7.  It has escalated to this point for a reason. SS and SD both have legos.  They have skateboards, hoverboard for SS and pogo stick for SS.  SS also had a huge collection of toys, stuffed animals, etc. that he never wants to earn back.  SS is never interested in reading a book.  SD is artistic so she has pencils, pens, construction paper, fabric, sewing, knitting all at her disposal.  We buy them something new and next day they want nothing to do with it. Onto the next monetary thing. No amount of money or convincing us ''just this one thing, please'' makes either one happy.

Regarding the ignorance and incompetence, SS forcefully spits out his toothpaste for example after brushing his teeth.  The force is so powerful that it gets all over the mirror and sink.  If we don't point it out and ask him to clean it up, he wouldn't.  He gets mad if we do point it out and ask him to be more intentional and spit into the sink.  They get angry if we ask them to eat over their plates or pick up after themselves.  They often leave pools of water when refilling their water in the kitchen.  SD often leaves toilets unflushed.  SD has dripped period blood on the toilet lid and/or floor and apparently can't see it until we make her clean it.  Again, she rages.  They cannot be asked the most simple of tasks and be trusted to complete them without complaining, raging, lashing out, screaming, kicking.  They destroy everything given to them.  Or SS tries selling gifts to people at school so he can turn a profit and buy something better.  He never wants to hold onto gifts given to him, regardless of the person.  It really is truly this intense and this difficult.  Hourly and daily. 

Rags's picture

Oh for the days when teachers had a paddle hanging on the front of their desk and would use them effectively on POS spawn like these.  Immediately and in front of the rest of the students.

Coddle parenting never works. Ever.  It ruins families and it ruins the lives of these kids.  Accountability, immediate consequences, and escalating abject misery, sadly, works.  Some kids earn nothing more and should experience nothing less.

IMHO of course.

It is interesting that these kids seem to target animals and people that they know there is zero risk of getting their faces punched in when they attack.  

Hopefully, and soon, one or both of them will latch onto a person with zero tolerance for a bully and who will send them to a hospital for reconstructive surgery when they perpetrate bullying on that poorly chosen victim.

It can't happen soon enough IMHO.

Lillywy00's picture

If I were you, I'd tell the psychiatrist to "keep those meds coming"!

possibly look into intensive therapy (especially for the safety of themselves and others) ... where they attend all day or even overnight. 

Yesterdays's picture

Both kids sound abusive, violent and dangerous. Hitting an animal with a shovel is beyond disturbing as do the other things the children are doing. Both kids are in need of some major therapy/psychological help and I would keep fighting for that

Conduct disorder sure but that doesn't excuse or change anything as far as disciplining or getting help 

Military school maybe

This is going to be a long road 

Do you live with your partner? How often are these kids around? Are you engaged? 

Rags's picture

IMHO they need to be medicated into a drooling catatonic state of semi coma until they are 18 then they need to be far from anyone they can be a detriment to the lives of.

I cannot immagine having to deal with this kind of crap.  I would spend whatever it took to get those kids institutionalized, medicated, and treated if for no other reason than the safety and quality of life of others.

Hopefully that investment would benefit these kids as well.

Lillywy00's picture

IMHO they need to be medicated into a drooling catatonic state of semi coma

 

#seroquel

 

cannot immagine having to deal with this kind of crap.  I would spend whatever it took to get those kids institutionalized, medicated, and treated if for no other reason than the safety and quality of life of others.

Agreed!

 

One of my gazillion jobs I worked at a locked down juvenile detention center .... and how the kids behaviors are described here is typical of kids I used to work with. 
 

Im surprised no referrals have been made for those kids 

BethAnne's picture

I hope one of the many therapists that these kids has seen has explained to your partner that bordem is like torture to someone with adhd. People with adhd NEED stimulation, as someone with adhd I often need multiple types of stimulation at the same time. It's no wonder this kid wants to run away if he is frequently subjected to hours of enforced confinement and bordem. 

Lillywy00's picture

Hence why the kid said he felt like he was in prison and might as well send him to prison. 

Yesterdays's picture

"A few years ago, SS had hit a neighbor's dog with a shovel because it was near our fence (I was not dating my partner at this time).  SD once was scratching and touching SS's legs when they were sleeping together on a vacation in a hotel bed.  He asked her to stop and she wouldn't. 

"SD came rushing me (in public) and had her fist clenched and got mere inches away from me with intent to hit me but had stopped before she made the next move.  She has a history of stealing items from me, from her brother, both of them like to work together to do bad things together.

"Last year, SS had taken a chair and thrown it at a teacher and told them that he wasn't ''doing his f$cking stupid work sh!t" when asked to nicely.

These children need more than a pat on the head and some positive reinforcement.. 

They are exhibiting some pretty serious mental problems that require some severe therapy and intervention

Eta I'm not saying positive reinforcement won't help. I'm saying that positive reinforcement ALONE, with no other intervention or help will do nothing for this child. He needs some major therapy in addition 

BethAnne's picture

This is true. But I would hope that there is some aspect of parental/family therapy that happens too. Because without changes in this household that is raising two troubled kids any work a therapist does is not going to be as effective as it could be with a fundamental shift in attitude and behaviors in the household and the adult's views of these children. They have repeated to the 10 year old so many times that he is going to prison that he is now resigned to that fact.

Lillywy00's picture

Agreed these kids need intensive therapy. 
 

However positive reinforcement is part of therapy. 
 

Even the worst behaved kids still need something positive in their lives they can feel good about and look forward to. 
 

These kids are still young, brains still forming, and there is still hope for rehabilitation of these behaviors they're exhibiting 

Yesterdays's picture

I agree. I worded it poorly. What I was trying to say was more than JUST that is required. It is not the solution. Something else needs to be done. Positive reinforcement alone, with no other help, will do absolutely nothing right now at this point is what I meant to say 

Lillywy00's picture

On a side note, as I mentioned I worked with some bery horribly behaved kids in facilities (kids who were caught abusing animals, assaulting other kids, teen "pr0stitut3s", drug addicted kids) who were so horribly behaved sometimes that you'd put yourself in danger being alone with them. 
 

I remember thinking to myself like "this kid right here is just .... (I have nothing nice to say)" 

But one day, instead of zoning in on the kids acting a mess, I decided to focus on the kids acting positively. 
 

 I started doling out compliments...not just any compliments public praise like "hey y'all look at Timmy over here cleaning up his area, I really like this!"

Then next thing I notice is three other kids like "what about me my area is clean" 

They eat it up like cats chowing down on catnip

I believed 97% of the kids (with the right med combo and the right resources) I worked with could be rehabilitated 

The other 3% I knew they'd be in facilities for life with no chance for turning their life around. 
 

Hopefully the kids here are in that 97 percent. 

Yesterdays's picture

That is a very positive story. You rule Lilly. Seriously. You are an amazing person ❤️ it takes a special person to see that, recognize it and also make an important and postive change.