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Hello, I am very new to this part of the forum, but have been visiting the Guatemalan adoption area for a little while. My question is this...
What would you do in my situation?
A bit of background is necessary...sorry! 12 years ago we were placed with our nephew, he is ADD/ADHD and has had some serious Attachment Issues. He has been doing so much better lately. He will be 15 in December but is emotionally about 8. His father came back into his life off and on several times over the last few years but his mother has not had any interest since he was 7 and she remarried. We finally received full custody about 6 months ago. He was so thrilled. He loves us and his brothers. He is a great big brother for the most part...at least he is trying very hard to be! He has had very serious issues in school and no one seemed willing to help because he was so "reactive" to outsiders. He has learned to control a lot of this "acting out" behavior since we moved him to a small private school. He has made friends for the first time in his life! We have been so happy for him. There is even a Girl that likes him!
OK, now as to what happened yesterday, R was in class and a new boy who has just come to the school in the last few weeks doesn't like R at all (we are used to this reaction) We will call him B. R had had a problem with another boy in his class...just verbal issues but nothing serious (we thought) I will call him A. Yesterday, A paid B to hit R. This was witnessed by a teacher. When B came to hit R, R moved quickly and another child was struck. The teacher quickly came in an broke up the confusion but R was overwhelmed...The two other boys have been suspended A for 1 day and B for 3 days. Now this is the talk of the school, R called me to tell me that everyone is talking about him. We were pretty proud of him, he did not react violently, he actually told the truth when he was questioned and he went and spoke to the boy who had paid the other child to tell him he didn't want any more problems. He handled this situation better than he has ever handled anything...but now he is the center of attention and he is having anxiety and fear. I just talked to him and told him to calm down, school is almost over and my DH is going to get him, what if anything do you think I should do?
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Sorry this is so long, thanks for reading!
Becky
First off, definitely commend him for handling things so well but don't make it a big deal since he is already anxious.
Has anyone ever worked with him doing something like meditation, or yoga, or even karate? Something that can help him to focus and maintain control while remaining calm. (Contrary to popular belief, martial arts can be good for that with the right teacher).
Most likely, something else will happen in school in the next few days and someone else will be the center of attention.
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Thanks for your ideas, we definitely commended him for his behavior, it's not often I get to do this! His main issues are self control and logic. He usually can not slow down enough to make "good" decisions. It was a banner day at our house!
I just worry because he has a really hard time separating people kidding him and people attacking him personally. I just talked to my DH and he said that R is a lot better now, he was just basically embarrased, we are so close to the weekend, I hope everything will blow over instead of blowing up...if you know what I mean!
Thanks again for your ideas.
Becky
Well, for tomorrow, perhaps you or your husband can practice with him. Have him think about the worst case scenario in school and figure out ways to deal with it, this way he isn't caught by surprise. And if things don't go as bad as he thinks, he might even feel good.
I appreciate your idea, we did just that tonight, kind of made a game of it and included his 7 year old brother in the "what should you do if someone says ___"?
They had a great time and I hope tomorrow is a good day for him, he has come so far in the last year, he is really turning into an awesome young man...here's praying for his peace of mind and spirit tomorrow.
Thanks again for the idea.
Becky
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