Replies can be sent to me so as not to overload Brad's Gramma's list. Thank you for your prayers. He'll be home tomorrow thank God.
Thanks for the update...glad you answered through mail - hoping you would. Been praying for y'all. Brad's Gramma is right. He needs to be involved with a good church group and be able to experience the positive interactions with trained Christian counselors and kids his age in that environment. Tell him there are a lot of folks at FR who are hoping he is feeling better, and sending our love and hugs to him through his mommy. God bless.
I too am glad you get him out of a hospital where the doctors are too busy to talk to the parents of a 7-yr-old patient! That is just WRONG.
I would expect an acting out episode soon after the honeymoon period (less than a day). Don't freak out when this happens. He is testing his limits. Best to tell him during the huggy honeymoon period right when you get him home that "XYZ" (violence, attitude, anything you decide) will not be tolerated because it's your job to love him and make sure he grows up to be a GOOD man. This way, when he does whatever he WILL do to test your limits, you can respond firmly with what you said you would do (time out, lack of a privilege, whatever you do) and he will know that he is loved but has to meet certain expectations.
He desperately needs you to be in control. He may really act out for you and he needs you not to "freak." Cry and freak out when he can't hear you at night, but in front of him just get a mantra or an actor's line memorized such as "We love you very much, but you cannot do that and if you do that, we have to do this." Deliver it boringly straight and calm, like Ben Stein.
Hey -- if you don't need any of this, so much the better! Wishing you a loving and great reunion with your son. I know you are everything to him at this age. Everything. No matter what he shows.
Just thinking about y'all and wondering how things are going. Keeping you in prayer. God bless.