I haven't ever written online about the tribulations that I am going thru with my stepson, not for lack of needing to, but for thinking that "hey, I got this"...yeah, I don't. Let me do a quick background so as not to bore any of you. We are the Brady Bunch. I have a 14 year old son, he has a 14 year old son (who is living with us fulltime now) and WE have a 7 year old son. I have been a part of my stepson's life since he was 5. We had a pretty good relationship. Then Mom decided she could not take his behavior any longer, drove a few states south, dropped him off and left after the car was emptied of his things. How cold. Not only that, she calls a month later and announces that she is expecting another little one. GRRRR. Anyhow, she sees him on holidays and every once in awhile she will fly him up north. He has been with us full time a little over a year. The two older boys get along well, that is not the issue. The issue is that I am practically drowning right now. I have done everything for this boy-when he moved here, it was because he was suicidal, stealing...etc. I sought prompt medical attention, had him set up with therapists, dealt with his "cutting", his complete disregard for any type of rule or boundary. I brought him to have check ups that his mom neglected to do, I had him set up with orthodontics. Basically, I love him as though I gave birth to him myself. Now, I find myself often sitting on my back deck wondering how I am going to make it thru. He swears, he lies about everything, he lies about lying...he has been caught "sexting" multiple times (I had to be the bad guy and take the phone away), he mopes around, listening to music, lounging on the couch acting as though I am the maid and he is there to be served. He doesn't care about ANYTHING. Nothing. He won't go outside, he does not have many friends and the ones he does have are "emo"...I am honestly worried about his mental health. His complete apathy scares me. He's disrespectful, speaks to adults as though he is an equal and since I am step mom, I have to take it. This is really tearing me apart. I pray all the time for something to change in his heart. Mom wants him back and I KNOW that it would be a bad decision, I don't want to bury my stepson. She trivializes the fact that he doesn't want to live. She is his friend, not an authority figure. I just don't get it. I could go on and on but honestly, this is exhausting me. Please, please tell me that there is someone else out there that is in the same boat as I. I need some sort of life raft.

Blessings.