44 Down, 28 To Go…

(Hours that is)

Stepson is here for the extended Labor Day weekend, and we’re about halfway through and I am exhausted.

I don’t post much about him, perhaps because I’d like to avoid “The Wicked Stepmother” backlash, but Stepson is a very difficult child, and we’ve spent the past few days on our guard, as well as half walking on eggshells to avoid setting him off. We made it through 24 hours of the visit before he got truly angry – an episode I tried to diffuse when I saw his jaw setting, his fists clenching and his face tightening up. I told him, “Stepson, you’re getting angry: take a minute, catch your breath.” And, typical of Stepson, as he got to that point, he just careened past it in an episode that ended with him storming through our yard, picking up everything in his path and either throwing it or trying to throw it (including one of The Princess’s toys — which caused her to start sobbing as he broke her toy in two).

I can’t even describe what it’s like to be around a kid who is so angry and with such an unbelievable sense of entitlement that every time one dares to disagree with him, he becomes agitated, argumentative, and convinced that the whole world is doing him wrong – that he’s a victim and it would just go figure that this wasn’t going his way, that nothing ever goes his way, and how unfair is that.

This is my husband’s son. My husband, who gave me the two most beautiful daughters – the girls that bring me an infinite amount of joy.

Hubby is trying to work closely with Ex-Wife (EW) to get help for Stepson, though it feels like EW kind of relishes the drama Stepson brings to her life. Hubby has lined up counseling appointments for Stepson, so that every week, we can spend more money to have a therapist tell us how angry Stepson is. There seems to be no fix to this. EW keeps doctor hopping, and having them prescribe a virtual pharmacy of medications for him – so far, nothing has helped. He has seen a handful of counselors over the past few years – so far, no one has helped.

To have this area of my life that is so much out of my control – that I have no say in – is very difficult to me. To have this child with so much negativity around, and I can’t help, and my husband can’t help, and the doctors can’t help – it’s frustrating. These weekends are draining.