I want to check my sanity
Would you want a 13 year old teenager (being diagnosed with autism) living with you full time if he has had numerous outbursts of being violent (in social disagreements as he struggles to regulate emotion or sometimes instigated by himself) and ignoring female boundaries at school (putting his hands on females even though he had been asked not to) his excuse being he didn't think anything would come of it? I do not feel comfortable with this at all, it is repeated behaviour that has been addressed by me, the school and his father many times but it continues. There doesn't seem to be a present threat at home or something obvious but would you want this for you or your bios? I am pregnant and I have a 3 year old girl, he comes across loving and caring at home but has this behaviour at school. His dad believes he struggles with peers around his own age and there is no evidence of it with adults and young children but he understands my fears and strong urge for him not to live here. For me, this just maximises my discomfort with him living here full time, but I just want to check that I'm not over exaggerating. My midwife and family don't think I am but I cannot see anything changing unless he does something really drastic. It's just going to be a matter of living with the discomfort of this Do you think my feelings are unreasonable? There are numerous agencies involved at the moment and I've been honest and open with everyone involved. At this point, even if he improves, I don't think I will recover from the resentment or particularly enjoy living in my home after all this because he's not my biological kid and I don't love him as such, therefore I can't get over everything like biological parents are naturally inclined to.
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Absolutely not. Nope nope
Absolutely not. Nope nope nope.
It's one thing to live with that situation as an adult, but you have a daughter and another on the way and that changes everything. You need to look out for your children first and foremost and ensure their safety. You're their mother and literally there to protect them until they are fully functional independent adults.
where is SS mother? Why does she not have more time with him? It is not your responsibility to make her become the mother that you need to be for your own children. Look out for yourself and your little ones.
Especially after you deliver, your body will go in to full on mother protective zone that absolutely no one should get in the way of. I'm so sorry you have to deal what that.
His mum couldn't cope with
His mum couldn't cope with his behaviour and asked us to have him full time 5 years ago during that time he spent the majority of it in boarding school because we were a military family (not anymore) now he lives with us full time again. She sees him once every 2 months for one weekend out of choice. She actually told my partner yesterday that she doesn't blame me for feeling the way I feel and good on me for standing my ground, which is strange
im 36 weeks pregnant now and after the report last week that he put his hands on a girls waist after being asked not to.. I said that's it I'm telling my midwife and she escalated it.
Yeah that's hard for me to
Yeah that's hard for me to comprehend how a mother just neglects her own child because it's too hard to deal with the reality of parenting. But honestly that's not your problem at all.
Personally, I would give DH an ultimatum- either you and your kids or SS. But at this point there is no such thing as co-existing. If you can't feel that your children are safe in your own home, then something's gotta give. And that means SS mom needs to take him. Just my opinion if I put myself in your shoes with the info provided. But take care of your babies first!
I agree.
I agree.
i would say I was tolerating him living here beforehand but after numerous incidents in a short space of time and the report from last week that he put his hands on a girls waist despite being told not to, it's gone past co existing and it's gone to me escalating to the relevant people and telling my partner I do not feel comfortable, even more than before. He says he is on the same page but his worries aren't as strong as mine are. I'm ready for him to go elsewhere now, but I know it's going to take more incidents at school for his dad to say that's it because he doesn't want to give up on his son. Obviously I get that it must be difficult for him but it makes it hard for us to feel on the same page when I have insane protection over my 2 little ones but he is responsible for all 3 of his. Also, his mum probably wouldn't take him so he would end up in the care system
Can his mother just say "Nah,
Can his mother just say "Nah, i don't feel like it." ?! Why has nobody turned up the heat on her to care for her child?
My partner couldn't fight it,
My partner couldn't fight it as she was struggling so bad mentally she said it's us or the care system. He tried to turn up the heat to get her to see him more but she refused and there are no legal ways to make her see him more
If this BM is the COd NCP,
If this BM is the COd NCP, she cannot be forced to see the SKid or even to take her COd visitation. The CP is on the hook for housing, feeding, care, health, etc... for the kid not only on their own COd time but also on the NCP's COd time of the NCP refuses visitation.
Our 16+ years under a CO as the CP side had several periods of a year or more where the SpermClan refused all visitation. In our case that was just fine with us. SS got to continue his calm real life instead of having to deal with the pestulence in the shallow and polluted end of his gene pool over three visitations per year totaling 7wks. For some reason they seemed to think that they were sticking it to us. Nope, their loss our gain. More importantly, the SKid won when they did that.
I'm not sure if they have COs
I'm not sure if they have COs in the UK like they do here. Some others i've seen post say it's mostly verbal agreements without the courts involved. Not sure what OP is dealing with.
But
is there a way to force his biological mother to take him? I can't see one. And if there isn't, what then?
She said that because she
She said that because she knows how he is... She was not able to control him herself so she has sympathy for you
You are not over reacting. He is out. Period. Dot.
File an RO/PO keeping him away from you and your young ones. His behavior at school may be enough to get a judge to approve the order. Take it out of your DH's hands and protect your girls. Or your girl and your pending TBD as the case may be. Congratulations on the STB LO.
IMHO of course.
Would you want a 13 year old
HELL Naw!!!!!
He needs to be in an institution or boarding school that specializes in behavioral issues ....
Yeah, drop a teen boy with
Yeah, drop a teen boy with emotional and behavioral problems on the doorstep of a pregnant woman with a toddler. That should go really well. You are sane and also, though, the pregnancy hormones have you feeling extra protective of your baby and toddler. And that's not a bad thing.
His BM "just can't handle him." Well tough shit, neither can you. But you didn't birth him, she did. I would focus my energies on first protecting your health and your little ones, and second getting this Cowbird to woman up and take care if the child she created. Any possible way this can be forced should be pursued. If she's not incarcerated or declared unfit, she needs to take him. Fk "can't handle him." He's not a baby, he's a teen with what sounds like very mild autism. This is my first recommendation and my second is back to boarding school. Your DH needs to find the money. If he can't and BM actually meets the definition of unfit, every second he is in your home he needs to be watched by your DH.
Guffaw! Cowbird.
So true.
I hope you don't take this
I hope you don't take this wrong, but your SS has the normal physiology of a 13 year old boy with a much more immature mind. Going through puberty was really difficult for my autistic son who is now 28. He was a bit to handle and ended up in a specialized school environment because of his behavior. His outbursts were unnerving, but he was good at home.
I don't know your whole story and I don't know your SS BUT he is likely attracted to girls his age, but needs constant redirecting to keep his hands to himself. My 28 year old has those same inclinations towards attractive women and there was a time where he'd act very socially inappropriate with attractive women. He would ask for hugs or get all ga ga and chat them up. Because he's immature for 28, he was attracted to younger women. I would put him emotionally at around 16 or 17 now, but he was as immature as a 13 year old just a couple of years ago. It took a LOT of reinforcing expectations and teaching him appropriate social skills to get him to BACK OFF of being smitten with or asking for hugs from all women, especially girls who were under 18. For the most part it has worked.
The reason I say all of this is because unless your SS is having trouble keeping his hands off babies, toddlers and pre-pubescent girls, I do not believe you have to be concerned about him touching your children (unless you've seen other signs).
Please do not automatically equate his interest in age appropriate girls, and his lack of maturity to behave appropriately with being inclined to act in appropriately with very young girls. That's unfair.
With the right medication (Risperdal) and counseling and constant reinforcement of rules and social expectations, my DS28 got through puberty and young adulthood without doing anything egregious. He had to learn self control, social skills and to mature more.
I know these kids can be infuriating. DS28 is my bio and he drives me NUTS sometimes.
But he's not a perv and he's not trying to harm anyone. He's learning how to navigate life as an emotionally immature Autistic young man who will likely never have a normal social or emotional life - no girlfriend, wife, children, etc.
I'd also like to point out
I'd also like to point out that you could very well have a child with Autism, so I wouldn't be too quick to pack your stepson off to a special school or institution because he's behaving like an Autistic child.
Autistic is not disposable and he's not automatically a perv just because he's struggling with self control at 13. He's likely much younger from a maturity perspective and I'm quite disheartened at some of the posts on this thread.
Yes, it's hard. And you don't get to ship off kids to the other parent because Autism is hard to deal with.
I'd rather have an Autistic step child than put up with the garbage a lot of other step parents endure.
I would like to add that he
I would like to add that he had thoughts about wanting to throw my daughter out of a window when she was a newborn. So autism or not, it doesn't just take away the concerns hence why professionals validated my concerns but because I have a big heart, I do question my own sanity and feelings around it and wonder if it's justified. Plus if his behaviours start to influence or effect my bios then I will be concerned as he is not my responsibility, they are. I appreciated your first comment it was really good insight because it could also mean there isn't a threat and helped me understand the inner world of someone with autism, but respectfully your second comment rubbed me up the wrong way because it's not nice living in fear and I'm sure others wouldn't take up my situation over theres and there is a huge difference when the person is a step rather than a bio, completely different tolerance and feelings especially when you have your own little ones to think about and protect too. His mum shipped him off to us, his behaviour is becoming more concerning and I've got to think about my little ones and if the home environment is going to impacted. Because his mum did what she did and if it is autism, of course I feel for him, but nothing is worth the risk of my own children or them being placed in any risk of harm at all, they are not disposable either and I wouldn't risk any kind of emotional strain on them as they are so young and ultimately they are the most important beings in the world to me, I don't want to risk any complex PTSD for them. But it could also be that he may not pose a threat at home, but how will I know for sure?
Like I said, I don't know
Like I said, I don't know your child and I don't know all the details of your life, but based on your original post, I stand by my comment. Adding the context of wanting to throw your baby out of the window is new information. Maybe you said it in a previous post, but I don't usually go back and read all of a poster's history before I comment.
There again, I have lived it, and I have loved a troubled Autistic child.
He would get frustrated in school and tell students and teachers he was going to stab them with a pencil or wanted to blow up the whole school. And he would get SO frustrated, he would say he wished he'd never been born or wanted to unalive himself.
All of these behaviors stem from emotional immaturity and the inability to understand what he was feeling and properly advocate for himself. You see a 13 year old boy. He's MUCH younger.
Just like a 4 year old might say he wants to be a T-Rex and eat bad guys, some teenage kids with Autism will say outrageous things because they can't articulate that perhaps they feel jealous of the cute little baby every one is cooing over. If your bio child were to be jealous of the baby and say "throw it out the window" would you send that child away because they are a danger? No. It's because you realize the 4 year old is having big emotions and can't articulate what they are feeling properly.
It's okay to be cautious, but I do think your lioness or momma bear instincts mixed with pregnancy hormones are causing you to catastrophize the comments of an immature physiological 13 year old with the maturity of a MUCH younger child.
I repeat: I don't know your stepson. I am not his doctor. I don't have all the details. However your own original post comes off as hysterical to me. I mean, touching the waist of a female peer after being told not to does not mean your stepson is a pervert. He's struggling with the body of a 13 year old and the mental maturity of a much younger child. We understand when a young child lacks self control or defies instructions. Just because he looks 13 doesn't mean he is.
I think that you rightly are
I think that you rightly are feeling fear due his his behavior... And also the comment he made about wanting tk throw a baby out the window.. That alone would make me on edge. I would at minimum keep an eye on your kids however that would make me extremely uncomfortable
I also don't think it's good to downplay anyone's situation on here or compare... We all have things we are dealing with that are bad. I know that I wouldn't be ok with someone making a comment like that around my babies.
"I'd rather have an Autistic
"I'd rather have an Autistic step child than put up with the garbage a lot of other step parents endure."
It sounds like she has that PLUS a lot of the other garbage. Unfit BM, check. Threats to throw her baby out the window - check. Sounds like they aren't even sure his behavior problem is autism.
Thankyou
Thank you for your validation! I have a shitty situation and I live on edge! It's currently suspected autism and he's on a waiting list to get a diagnosis however, he knows right from wrong and he actively seeks out trouble sometimes!
He needs to not be in your
He needs to not be in your home unless your DH is there to watch him. If he's a teenager and they aren't sure if it's autism or not, he can't be that impaired to the point of not knowing right or wrong. Idk what his BM's mental health diagnosis is or how long she actually cared for him (bad parenting causes a lot of mental issues) and he was clearly dealt a bad hand in life. But your DH also has the same duty as you to protect your little ones. Stay strong and don't ever let him alone with your baby or toddler.
When it comes down to it we
When it comes down to it we don't know whether this person will harm younger or older kids... We don't know the history and the severity.. We also don't have a crystal ball.
We also don't know whether either of the bio parents are stepping up to get this child the proper care, counselling or medication. I don't think we can assume that he won't harm anyone. What I see from this post is that the step parent is concerned... The bio mom has backed away due to fear and we don't really know what the bio dad is doing to help this kid.
Exactly this. We don't have a
Exactly this. We don't have a crystal ball and how can I know whether there is a risk and it's worth it? I don't care if he was the first born, it doesn't mean that my kids should be put in any risky situation purely because he was born before them. His bio mother does nothing but find him challenging, his birth dad does his best and is pushing for a diagnosis of whatever it is he has, he is working closely with the school and I have made everyone in the council and authorities and CPS aware of my situation. My midwife was in agreement with me that she sees it as a threat , all my family see the concern too and if it is that he is diagnosed with autism, then we can get the support and maybe my fears will die down. But at the moment whilst we are on a waiting list I am just living in fear, it doesn't make me a b*tch. It seems like the people who have autistic relatives are the ones being harsh on me, it's not just the touching, it's the violence, he punched another boy in the back of the head last week. One punch it could take to severely hurt my little girl if he lashed out at home, I am furious, and he actually wasn't being violent until I became pregnant with my first born, there were behavioural issues but nothing that was a major red flag. The people who see my POV aren't being harsh. I'm not packing him up and sending him away, his dad has said himself if he starts to pose a risk to our kids then we will have to reevaluate our options. It's not just me and I was asking if I was over exaggerating because obviously a part of me feels guilty for feeling this way too. Some of these comments have been harsh asf and made my feel like my kids are less than purely because his son may have special needs, my kids needs are important too, doesn't matter if they were born after him.
I know you don't want to hear
I know you don't want to hear from me, but you keep extending his outbursts in highly stressful situations to your younger children being in danger.
My son acted out at school in ways he did not act out at home.
Your SS is 13. THIRTEEN. It's a difficult time for neurotypical children. He's likely completely overwhelmed in school and faces all manner of challenges interacting with his peers at school. I doubt his change in behavior is directly linked to your child being born, although there may be some jealousy.
When I was 13, I started a new school and a couple of girls decided to harass me. I was in the guidance counselor's office every day because of their constant harassment. One day, one of them cornerned me in the hallway and pushed me to my limit, so I grabbed her and threw her into a locker. She never bothered me again after that............and I didn't get into trouble.
No one thought I was going to come home and punch my little sisters (aged 6 and 7).
If he's not raging out at your child or being violent with you, then try to take a look at the cause of his behaviors. Unless he walks around in a constant rage picking fights with people, kicking cats and dogs, knocking old ladies over and generally being an angry, violent thug, then please realize there are pressures placed on him at school that he is not equipped to handle.
Punching some punk kid in the back of the head COULD have been for good reason - you weren't there and it's possible that your SS may not be able to articulate what happened.
I have lived through all of this and my son has outbursts when overwhelmed or is overstimulated. I have taught him over the years how to calm himself, communicate his feelings and frustrations, and behave appropriately.
Get educated and if he's not acting like a violent, impulsive thug in your home, your babies are likely safe because I'll wager he feels safer and calm at home. And it would help to understand his triggers so you can deescalate situations that arise at home.
And this is my last post on your thread because I understand that your brain is full of pregnancy hormones that direct you to protect your babies at any cost. My best wishes for a safe, healthy delivery.
And I pray that your SS gets a diagnosis and can be surrounded by people who are eager to teach him, protect him, love him and help him. He's been through a lot already in his short life.
I think it's normal,
I think it's normal, particularly during pregnancy, to worry about every possible way your children could be hurt. So I don't think you're insane.
However, I do think it's unreasonable for you to expect your husband to choose you/your children over his son, especially taking into consideration that the BM is completely worthless and won't take responsibility for the child either. Of course he is going to exhaust every avenue possible to keep SS in his home. What, exactly, is the alternative? Is a decent boarding school an option for y'all? One that is equipped and capable of guiding SS to becoming an independent adult and not just a place that will keep him locked away? Surrender him to the care of the state? I'm just not sure what else could be done with regard to your living situation, from your husband's perspective. It would be a different story if he had exhibited violent or maladaptive behaviors at home or towards little kids, but you say that he hasn't.
My nephew has autism (he's 6 and still non-verbal, can be violent, has a tendency to elope, basically ALL the things) and I've cared for him quite a bit since I'm the only one my sister trusts. So I know firsthand how exhausting it is. I also know that it isn't morally right to just send a kid away when what's better for them is to remain in the home, with their family. You have to weigh a ton of factors to determine when/if the needs of the family outweigh the needs of the individual. Or when it might actually be better for everyone to change the living situation. From what you've said, I don't think you're anywhere close to that with your SS. That doesn't mean I don't sympathize with you; I know that I could not care for my nephew full time, personally. And it really sucks that your BM is such a POS, mainly because her son deserves better. But you have to consider the total picture from your husband's perspective, and he's in an impossible situation if you're planning to force him to choose.
I haven't given an ultimatum
I haven't given an ultimatum and I don't plan to but it has been escalated to the correct professionals who work in safeguarding for them to do their investigations and support, which my partner is on board with because he believes there could be a threat, even if it's just little. And it's been escalated that we get no support from his BM which means any respite from this situation is non existent which causes issues for our relationship and the stress of the family. It's also possible he doesn't have Autism and it could be behavioural, he has had thoughts in the past about wanting to throw my daughter out of a window and he has told people to kill themselves in the past and said disturbing things, so it's hard to know if there is a real threat or not or if it's worth it. Do I have to wait until something does happen at home before anything is done? That shouldn't even be an option, that's what makes it an awkward situation. Am I to wait until he potentially does do something or show threatening behaviour to my little ones before something is done, do I have to risk that to feel justified? It's all confusing and starting to make me depressed
This makes my heart break for
This makes my heart break for you, especially with a young daughter and on the verge of being in the throes of postpartum emotions.
Do you have a family member you can stay with for awhile? While you figure out how to move forward? If other providers and family members are concerned then clearly you aren't making this up in your head. You shouldn't have wait for an " incident" to get the safe space you need for you and your babies.
I have an autistic family
I have an autistic family member who was also diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder. He is a joy to be around, but I don't live with him and have never witnessed his outbursts. From what I have heard of them, I would say a hard no to the situation you present. I really feel for these kids, but if they can't regulate their own behavior, that becomes dangerous.
I'm wondering what kind of
I'm wondering what kind of help this child is getting so he CAN learn to regulate his behaviour. What kind of professionals are involved?
I ask because as I have a special needs daughter we frequented a centre that was designed to help children with all sorts of difficulties and I have seen some very extreme behaviour transformed with the right treatment.
One boy in particular comes to mind. He was nearly uncontrollable in the waiting room and I used to dread being there at the same time as him. He scared my daughter badly. His mother clearly couldn't handle him. Well, with the help of a speech therapist, an occupational therapist, a physiotherapist, and a psychologist, all working as a team they managed to help him be a better version of himself. He will always have issues, no doubt, but he can now sit and read a book calmly whereas before he'd have thrown it across the,room or at someone's head. No, not a miracle, just the results of him getting the appropriate treatment.
He won't be able to get
He won't be able to get specialist help or medication until we have a diagnosis. He has been on a waiting list for a while, everyone is trying to fast track it because of the school behaviour. In the mean time he gets emotional support at school etc
Hopefully, you won't have to
Hopefully, you won't have to wait much longer for the diagnosis and that the specialists don't have too long a waiting list.
They've estimated 1-2 years
They've estimated 1-2 years until he is assessed but we are trying to push him to the top of the list as a priority. People have to remember we have the NHS in the UK and don't have access to private assessments unless we pay between 3k-5k for the one assessment, never mind numerous other ones we may need to have.
OMG, I'm sorry. I hadn't
OMG, I'm sorry. I hadn't realised you had to deal with this NHS. Fingers crossed you're in one of the regions that has decent resources.
Those damned cowbirds!
Comparing the living situation of your stepson, as compared to that of my Aspie (Asperger’s) nephew, I’m filled with pity for the youngster. My nephew was raised by loving parents who did their best to socialize and educate him. They pursued every resource available for children ‘on the spectrum’ and encouraged my nephew in his activities and passions (most ‘Aspies’ have specific interests in which they excel).
Your SS was a loser at the starting gate. His mother has rejected him, his father is unwilling to invest the considerable time and energy required to satisfy his son’s needs and you are overwhelmed with the care of a toddler as well as being heavily pregnant (and hormonal!) with your second child.
It’s not surprising that you have little time to spare for ‘somebody else’s child’, particularly since he is also a difficult and disruptive teen. No doubt, you are also resentful of his birth mother who has, essentially, dumped her problem child on you.
Part of the lad’s difficulties are likely his awareness that he’s unwelcome in the homes of both his parents; how awful that must feel! Are there any relatives on either his mother or father’s side who might be willing to foster the boy? Is boarding school a consideration? Your husband’s reluctance to have his son ‘go into care’ is understandable; what parent (apart from your SS’s heartless mother) would be prepared to take such drastic action against their own child?! Would you be able to cast off your own, biological daughter if she became troublesome?
This is an awful mess! I can only suggest that you and your DH discuss the issue with a therapist who specializes in the concerns of autistic children. He/she might be able to recommend some services available to folks in your situation.
I'm so sorry, Hon, that you're enduring this stress during a time when you should be happily anticipating your new baby. ((((HUGS))))
I agree that it's a horrible
I agree that it's a horrible situation for the boy and his dad. If it's gotten to this point and he is a teen still with no diagnosis, it wasn't just the Cowbird who dropped the ball, though. OP's kids have the chance to have at least one good parent, and that might have to be OP. She can't compromise their safety.
Great post.
Great post.
I'm going to throw some gasoline on the fire here and risk pissing a lot of people off.
I have 2 sons and a daughter. DS34 was diagnosed PDD-NOS at age 9 when his younger brother, DS28 was diagnosed PDD-NOS at age 3. My younger son is the handful. My DD31 isn't on the spectrum.
If I had had DD28 FIRST, I likely wouldn't have had 3 children. I would probably have had 2 because it took 3 years to realize there was a problem.
So, I going to say something that stepmothers HATE to hear, and which I would also HATE to hear.
SS was born first. It was known there were problems and that his mother was a loser when you chose to have children with your spouse. You should be able to have children of your own and have a peaceful home, but this is NOT a cowbird situation because the cowbird would actually be YOU in this situation - as hard as that is to hear.
There was a nest with a daddy bird and a baby bird. The mommy bird left. A new mommy bird came along and laid two eggs and now you want the kick the original baby bird out. No bueno.
Your husband has a duty to all of his children, but SS has only his father to look out for him. He was born first. He has severe issues, so your husband MUST attend to them.
The momma bear in you is going to get her claws out for me because you have a biological imperative to protect your baby birds, but you put them into an already built nest.
Your husband has a biological imperative to protect and care for SS as his only parent. Your baby birds have two parents, so you can focus on your own.
Maybe the best solution is for your husband and SS to live somewhere else together so your children aren't in the danger you perceive them to be in.
If I was married to someone who wanted to clear the nest of the troublesome prior offspring, I would be deeply hurt.
You brought two lives into this already built nest and it's not cool or fair to boot out the baby bird that was there first. Maybe built a separate nest to keep your chicks safe.
I've had 3 men in my life who have struggled with my challenging Autistic child and they can f*ck all the way off. Yes, my feelings about this are pretty strong and my own Autistic child drives me batty on the regular.
Feel free to delete me if my comments bother you. I don't think you're insane, but I do think your POV is irrational.
I wish you the best of luck on your pregnancy and delivery. I pray you never have to suffer the humiliation or challenges of having a special needs child. Not everyone is cut out for it.
I'm the one who called OP's
I'm the one who called OP's BM a cowbird. I am truly sorry for what you have gone through with your kids. I can't imagine how hard it is. As a mother, you will do anything to protect your kids.
To la_dulce_vida
Came back to add that i sort of feel bad for resorting to name-calling. I don't know what anyone else has gone through because i haven't walked in their shoes. I think when we read these blogs, we bring our own histories and perspectives and may see ourselves in the people we read about. I have anger at having mothers (my SO's BMs and his brothers' BMs) who show little interest in their kids try to get others to house and parent them for free. I also realize i have a bias when reading these posts to advocate for the stepparent. I feel that in our society, few people do. I haven't experIenced the heartbreak of having a child with special needs. I can only imagine that the stress would cause some people to give up. I admire you for not giving up and for the sacrifices you have made for your sons. If by insulting a woman i have only read about from another's perspective, i inadvertently insulted you, i again apologize.
We are okay, you and me,
We are okay, you and me, Rumple.
My intense response is based on limited and benign information from the OP about her Autistic SS. Nothing she shared, not even the comment about throwing the baby out the window, rises to the level of wanting to foist SS off on someone else.
He needs help and he needs adults in his life who are EDUCATED on Autism. If you know what Autism is, then you are less likely to assume that they are going to hurt babies or be a perv without evidence.
Touching the waist of a peer female who SS is likely attracted to (and is too immature to process his impulses and feelings) doesn't mean he's going to sexually harm a baby or small child. It's such a huge leap, it breaks my heart.
If I met a man with an Autistic child, I would probably not bring more babies into the mix because he already has his hands full AND one of our children could possibly be Autistic.
It just plucked a nerve, so my apologies if I was too harsh.
Nobody will blame you on what ever you do.
Your from GB. So I really don't know how the whold institution or boarding school that specializes in behavioral issues ..works there. And if you do leave. How is SO going to work and take care of his DS, And pay CS.. best of luck. But you must protect you bios
A kid abandoned by their
A kid abandoned by their mother, who is a significant risk to young children, who is unable to adjust to behave acceptably socially and a dad who is marginally invested could thrive in a structured managed environment where he is required to integrate into the community, gets the academic and counseling focus he needs, learn to live with a peer room mate or several, could thrive in an appropriate boarding school environment where his successes were celebrated, his failures would be addressed, and he could learn how to be himself and part of something bigger.
A kid I went to boarding school with was a full meal deal student. 7th grade through JC2. He was a few years younger than me. His parents were troubled and passed very young. His GPs were elderly and unable to raise a pre-teen. His family sent him to Military School. Ultimately he thrived, and when he graduated he went on to a Military career. He went the full retirement distance in the Military and is now an internatinal security and safety consultant. He was a piece of work in his early years at school. He was scrawny, sickly, awkward. That formative foundation gave him confidence to make a strong life as an adult. In hind sight he was likely dealing with any number of then not yet created/identified XYZ LMNOP syndromes. Structure, support, +' (accentuate the positive), guidance, mentoring, consistency, and accountability can work amazing results in young people who need something different than to raise themselves in an under structured less than demanding environment that they struggle in and ... could do irreparable harm to himself and others.
There are options to get him what he needs, remove him as a risk to your young ones, to you, and your marriage.
You have a duty to protect
You have a duty to protect your family. Now to me the order of birth is irrelevant. DH has children from different mothers. However... If one child is at risk of physically or emotionally harming other family members that is a HUGE consideration to take into effect. You have to minimize the risk to others in the family. You can't leave members of a family at risk.
My apologies if I have
My apologies if I have overlooked this but what is your husbands opinion on his son and what should be done? Is he actively looking for solutions, trying to set up appointments with doctors and get him help? Or does he just avoid all of this? How active is he in trying to find appropriate the help?
Eta with my stepson my husband did NOT have an active role in trying to get help for his son. He also didn't defend me from his son or try to set appropriate boundaries in our home.
For me... Things might have been different if my husband took a different approach and was more active in trying to get his son some help, such as seeing medical doctors, trying to get therapy etc.
He is doing everything he
He is doing everything he possibly can but if he starts to pose a risk to the youngest in the house then he said himself things will have to change. It will be probably easier when he gets a diagnosis and we know what we are dealing with.
Plan of action
I think from reading all the comments, even though we are not entirely sure what we are dealing with yet, I would rather not live my life in misery and this situation makes me miserable, there is no joy init and makes me hard to enjoy my own toddler and look forward to my baby being born in the next couple of weeks. I think I will work closely with the local authorities and ask for support for understanding autism while we wait for a diagnosis just incase it is, hopefully that will alleviate my fears. All that fails, go separate ways and sell the house. It's not worth me feeling this way until he moves out within the next 5-7 years and my kids will just have to grow up with separate parents. Also, his BM doesn't see him so we get no break from all this, which again is not good for my sanity. I can be accountable and admit this is too much for me and getting worse, really not worth it I'm only 25 years old. But if things got really bad and it started to replicate at home, I know my partner would make his own mind up on things and where his son would live and it wouldn't be driven by me, at the moment we both have our worries, mine more prominent than his
That sounds like a good plan.
That sounds like a good plan. I hope your DH is the one leading the charge to get his son the help he needs while also protecting and providing for your shared kids. If he adequately cares for and supervises his son, hopefully things will work out in everyone's best interests. You are right to put the safety of your kids first. Your DH has to balance the needs of all 3 of his. We all have to do wjat we have to do.