This patient support community is for discussions relating to activities and sports, balancing schedules, divorced or separated fathers, discipline and behavior, home-schooling, military fathers, legal issues, new fathers, religious issues, special needs fathers, stay-at-home dads, and stepfathers.
hitting and kicking other kids at times and recently bit another child. We have talked to him, explained about concquences for his actions.
Did the time outs which have not worked. tried the progressive discipline thing and when all else failed bring out the belt and give licks. people frown the belt but it got results when we were kids. I don't like that form of discipline but I feel i have tried everything I know. So I am asking for help for me, my son and the fathers and sons to come. I love my son and I don't want to hurt him so please us. We don't have a lot of financial resources at our disposal but we will try anything to get our little boy back!
Generally the accepted guideline is open hand only, no more than 3 swats only on the thigh or the buttocks. There is no requirement though that a social worker or cop apply this guideline.
Being that you now have an open case, drop any corporal punishment off your list of useable punishments. Luckily, for a five year old the list of useful punishments is long.
1) discipline actually means to teach. Out think your kid by anticipating his behaviors before they occur, discuss normal childhood behaviors with him, why they occur and what the consequences maybe AND that he will have a turn to talk before any consequences are handed out. Discussion with an ADD child must be kept to a concise minimum as they are not able to track complete conversations.
This probably doesn't apply to your boy but it might for just1dad's son.
2) Time outs are still applicable for a 5 year old. Natural and logical consequences should become a more effective tool for a growing child. Loss of privileges for temporary periods tend to hit home with kids. Extra work projects like weeding the garden or helping to fix something is really useful as it tends to bring kids in more contact with parent, which is what they may have needed in the first place.
3) DING, DING, DING, DING, DING!! You have a two week old child in the house! Acting out behavior is totally normal and should be expected in siblings of newborns, especially siblings in a blended family.
ADDITIONALLY,
Corporal punishment teaches no skills. It does not teach self-control or problem solving or decision making or conflict resolution or emotion regulation or compassion etc, etc, etc.
Yes we were spanked as kids but our parents were often not taught any additional parenting skills beyond punish with fear. They also did not have the benefit of research that gave indication of well-balanced, adults with good social outcomes tended to come from parents that did not use corporal punishments as a behavior modification tool.
Moving on to today's problem;
Stop wasting energy in defending yourself to yourself. Social workers are used to that. What they are not used to are parents who take the challenge head on, sign up for parenting classes before they are required to do so, find out what the courts are likely to ask for and put those processes in place ahead of time. Be proactive in finding out what needs your son maybe experiencing at this time. Temporarily if you can not have contact, have the social worker keep you informed if your boy needs counseling or seems nervous because all the crazed adult activity swirling around him, his changed environment and day to day structure.
For the sake of your son's emotional well-being, now is not the time to take the easy way out because of the newborn. Get help in taking care of the baby from friends or family so you can give proper attention to your boy and these issues.
Start thinking about what you're going to say to your son when you have the chance to talk about all this. Start by not blaming his behavior, that is no longer the issue. More than likely he's already blaming himself terribly anyway. He needs to feel safe with you and assured that dad is trying to do everything to be back with him. and is learning new things everyday.
This situation will not be a forever thing a few months from now it will all be different. Hang in there.
When I was 14 or 15 years old my uncle wanted me to do something for him. I refused because I wasn't his maid. He smacked me in the face and left a mark. I sat in my room and cried for several hours, called my at the time best friend, and refused to come out of my room. When my parents got home they asked what had happened, and I didn't lie to them.
They had a nice chat with him about how I wasn't his daughter or even blood related to him. He had no right to smack me because I did nothing wrong. My parents told him if he ever did that to any of their daughters again they would have him arrested. To this day I still have nothing to say to him.
I don't blame your ex wife for wanting her son to be safe. What you did was out of line. Maybe it will teach you that abuse no matter how you see it is wrong.
I like that.
How about your accidental jail time? Hope you accidentally understand that no kid should be abused, mistreated or neglected. And if by accident, you do get out of your accidental jail time, I hope your wife accidentally find another person with a brain to father that little newborn that deserves a real man as a dad.
So glad we accidentally have good laws and your ex has full custody of your accidental child.
Just a thought.