Advise about parenting a difficult 7 year old boy wanted

Hi everyone. I have a 7 year old son who is much smarter than I am, very physically strong and, lightly put, challenging. Lately he has been mean to our cats and I can't have that behavior in my house since our pets safety is my responsibility.I have put him to work in a stable once a week, hoping that spending more time with adults who care for animals would teach him something. I'm also hoping that some hard work would help him find a productive way to put his destructive energy to good use.Another issue we are dealing with is that he tries to destroy things around the house when he is angry.So far I've had him go out in the woods with me to clear out debris when he starts breaking stuff. I told him that he can kick rocks and trees as much as he wants but that he can't stay around the house when he is breaking stuff since it costs money to repair his damages.If he succeeds and actually breaks something then he pays for the damage himself by doing extra chores or with his own money, he picks which way he wants to do it himself. I'm planning on letting him use a small axe to help me gather firewood when he is ready, he usually cleans up his act and behaves very responsibly when I remind him about it.One of his complaints is that he has to work more than his brothers. I have explained to him that he needs more time with me and my husband so we can teach him how to be responsible and kind. I have told him that everyone needs more help with some things and are really good at other things, and that the help he needs is to spend more time with adults who want what's best for him. I also explained that when he is spending the day with us he has to work with us since we can't leave things undone or our household wouldn't run smoothly.I want to add that I know he can control himself. There was an incident where I let him choose if he would brush his teeth or if he wanted to spend his night in the bathroom. I was sitting on the floor (45min standoff, my feet got tired) and he got in my face with his fist raised, threatening to hit my nose if I didn't let him leave. I calmly told him that he can't ever scare me away because I'm his mother and I love him very much. I also said that I knew he was too good to ever do something as horrible as hitting his mother. He didn't punch me, he decided to calm himself down and brushed his teeth. Win!I would love to hear thoughts or tips about what we are doing right and what we should do differently. More ideas about ways to teach him the right way to handle his negative feelings are also welcome. Thank you in advance for your help. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2AiQjop