Self Esteem

[Jeanie449]

My 10 year old grandson told me last weekend that he didn't want to go home to his mother and step father.  I asked him why.  He said if I promised not tell his mom he would tell me.  He told me that his step father and mother were arguing the week before and he overhead his step father say that he (my grandson) was the problem with their marriage and that the reason they argue so much is because of him.  He also told me that his mother agreed with the stepfather.  The history there i is one of moving from one state to the other and my grandson has no real stability or friends.  I am worried about him, and his self esteem and how he will grow up with this type of environment.  I assured him that any man who has to blame a 10 y ear old for his unhappiness is really not a man.   I said his mom loves him and probably was just interested in ending the argument.  My grandson seems depressed when he is with his family but happier when he is with me or his aunt.  What can be done?  I don't want to betray his confidence by telling him mom and step father what I really think of them

[RockRose]

I think you can just pretend you've observed kind of a hostile relationship between the boy and the stepdad.  I don't think you have to mention what your grandson said,  just state that you've noticed there seems to be a hostile relationship between the two of them,  and that the boy seems very happy at your own home but doesn't seem to look forward to going back to his own home.