All,

I have been hanging out with Mom, Dad, my Bro and his family, my lovely bride and our son and only popping in to lurk for the past 10days.

Great 10 days I have to say. Though the Skid barely escaped being strangled by his Mom and I. He was very mopey, sullen and pretty much completely unpleasant to be around for the first 5-6 days. It all came to a head when he was heading from my Parents home to my Bros home on Tuesday of last week and gave me one too many bouts of attitude. He was climbing in my Bros car with his cousins totally ignoring me while I talked to him. I called him out of the car for lecture 26-B (don't give me the attitude, rolling of the eyes, sighs, huffing, puffing etc....) I told him that his Mom and I were done (she had climbed up his butt the day before) with the snarky teen attitude crap and that he would either pull his head out and be pleasant or he could sit in his room (at Mom and Dad's) with no phone, computer, books, etc.. and contemplate his navel until he could figure out what his malfunction was.

"Yes, Sir" (In a mopey sullen voice) he then turned to get in to his Uncles car and gave me a roll of the eyes and an under his breath "What Ever". I told him to get upstairs. He freaked. "OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!" then threw his driving manual across the yard, stomped into the house, kicked his flip flops across the living room (fatal mistake since my parents home is full of breakable stuff), stomped up the stairs and flopped on his bed.

We had a long talk during which it came out that he was afraid to take the drivers test because he did not have enough time to study. Of course I asked how late he had been up with his cousins playing video/computer games (average 3AM) then asked why he did not use that time to study for his written test. I got the usual plethora of his head up his ass bullshit excuses for why he was not doing what he knew he should have been doing. I told him that it was his choice to take the test or not but that his Mom and I were done schlepping him around to see his friends when he is home from school. He asked us at least once a day the rest of the vacation for a ride somewhere. We said no. He was mad. Oh F'in well!

He also expressed that he was frustrated that the School had waited so long to notify him of his slot at Leadership camp and that it was not fair that he had to give up part of his summer.

I reviewed for him his next year and how critical it is for him to keep his head out of his ass and perform and re-expressed to him how big an opportunity Leadership camp and an associated leadership role in the Corps of Cadets is. I told him his future is entirely on him from here on out. He can either keep his head out of his ass and perform to his abilities in which case the world is his oyster and his Mom and I will cover college or he can go back to his unusual roll through life as a donut with his head up his ass. Either way his Mom and I will proudly attend his graduation in the spring with my Parents and Family and his Mom's parents and family present. I informed him of the difference in his life after the Graduation celebrations. Perform to his abilities and he can accompany his Mom and I home for the summer and prep for college. Shove his head up his ass and not perform and we will drop him off at the Marine Corps Recruiting Center on our way to the airport and he is on his own.

The whole discussion he was shaking he was so mad. He had tears pouring down his face, his hands were balled in to fists, his teeth were bared and he was hyperventilating. I told him to take a shot if he thought he was big enough to make it count but that that would be the worst move he could make because if he did, after I got done defending myself, I would drag him by the scruff of the neck to the Greyhound station and buy him a one way ticket to his BioDads (as cheaply and indirectly routed as possible) and be done with him.

Here is where his brain started to engage "Dad, I have already told you I don't want to live with (Bio)Dad". "Do we have to have this conversation again?" He pretty much shut Rags up at that point.

I told him that it was probably a good thing if we took a break from the tense conversations and picked it up later when we had both calmed down.

The next day we all went for a hike at Enchanted Rock where my Dad (Mr Fitness) hiked our asses off. SS said very little the whole day. On the drive back home he slept. When he woke up and got out of the car the usual sparkle was back in his face and eyes and he was back to being his usual rather jovial and good natured self. I took him for a walk to find out what had actually been bothering him for the past several days.

"I don't want to leave you and Mom, (My Parents), and my cousins to go on visitation, and ......... I am mad that I have to cut my summer short for Leadership Camp" "BioDad and SpermGrandMa have called me several times complaining that Leadership Camp is taking visitation away from them "...... "But, I decided that I can't let something I have no control over ruin the rest of our vacation".

Much of his attitude was in response to the crap he was getting from THEM. Grrrrrrrr! On one hand I was proud of him for working through his issues. On the other I was ready to strangle him for doing everything he could to ruin the first half of the vacation for everyone else.

But, I am Dad and I will raise him to viable adulthood if it kills both of us. (only 12mos 4wks and 2days to go until he is 18)

We put him on a plane for visitation on Sat AM and we flew home yesterday.

One more summer visitation down, one more to go. Then we are done with THEM and can detox my SS from the crap they load him up with........ forever. At least I hope we can rescue him from half of his gene pool.

Best regards,