Hello all, I have a five-year-old son. I've known since he was an infant that he was not like other kids. Even as an infant, he never slept more than 10 hours total on any given day, at the absolute best-- on average he slept 6-7 hours a day. He talks constantly, since he could talk. He has always struggled with constipation and toileting issues-- we've been to the hospital multiple times, and we've been to GI specialists and we've always been told it's behavioral. Since he learned to climb, he has climbed EVERYTHING. He jumps and climbs on every piece of furniture he can. He argues constantly-- If you told him the sky was blue, he'd argue that you're wrong because it's LIGHT blue. He still poops in his pants 2-3 times a week. We schedule bathroom times and try to make him go, but he holds it until he can't anymore and then poops in his pants and won't tell anyone, whether he's at home or school. He is a stickler for routine-- if you try to get him to brush his teeth in the morning after his shoes are already on, he has a MELTDOWN because shoes always get put on last, and he just can't brush his teeth now. He begs for things constantly-- if you tell him he can't do something, he throws a fit and begs you without ceasing. Everything causes begging and arguing-- brushing teeth, going to the bathroom, eating, homework, you name it. School is a total nightmare. He comes home on a "bad" color every day and his teacher has had enough of him. He frequently doesn't complete his work and we are constantly told he sits by himself so that he won't distract other kids. We've been to two therapists. We've tried token systems and sticker charts, positive reinforcement, diet changes, punishment (taking away privileges usually), vitamins, you name it. We tried spanking when he was younger, but it made the behavior even worse-- he got aggressive and choked two kids at preschool. The only thing we haven't tried is medication, and we were really hoping to wait until he was older, but it's becoming clearer that won't be possible. Even so, he's so young that most doctors won't prescribe him anything. I don't know what to do with him anymore. I am at the point where though I know I love him, I don't like to be around him. I don't want to play with him or spend time with him (but I do spend at least 20-30 minutes every evening playing with him 1-on-1 and letting him choose what we play, at the therapist's urging. But I hate it and it doesn't seem to have any positive effect on his behavior). I don't miss him when I'm away from him and I hate coming home and knowing that I'll have to spend the evening fighting with him. I feel like a terrible parent. I am currently wearing headphones so that I don't have to listen to him yelling, arguing, and begging me to go to a friend's house. I don't like to take him anywhere because my friends and family don't seem to enjoy having him around either and I don't blame them. My husband and I haven't had a date in a year and a half because there's just no one who will take him for several hours like that. I am desperate for some kind of advice. Something new we can try that we haven't thought of, some kind of commiseration even. Just let me know I'm not a bad mom. via /r/Parenting http://ift.tt/2y3rzOW
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