Please HELP ME keep my sanity!!

Reno, Nevada
September 2, 2015 4:13pm CST
My kids are driving me Crazy!!! Literally Please Help!! I have 4 kids 7boy,6boy,2girl,and 9 month old boy. I am being driving crazy literally by my children! I love each one of them dearly but I don't know what to do about their behavior lately no matter what I do they will not listen!? My 2 older boys have recently been acting up in very negative ways :( They have an area outside where they are in a fenced area and are allowed to play but recently they have been not doing as asked and have been breaking windows on vehicles and they even broke their bed room window. They were doing yard work to get out of trouble for the windows they had broken and the damage they had caused and in the meantime decided to somehow try and start a fire scary close to the house. They are since not allowed outside! Now they aren't following the house rules and no matter how I choose to punish them they still wont do as expected :( They are beginning to be very mean to their younger siblings and I am struggling to get a better understanding of how I can manage this I have tried everything from a simple warning to making them sit for several hours or even days to reflect on their actions nothing seems to work... Any advice would be seriously be appreciated!!! Just in case maybe my rules are too much for them I posted those as well so any advice any please!!! My house rules: 1.No Running 2.No Screeming 3.No Balls in the house 4.No using bad words 5.No food/drinks in rooms 6.No lieing/steeling 7.No touching things that aren't yours 8.No talking back 9.Ask before doing 10.Use your manners! p.s. and no I'm not one of those parents who don't/won't spank their child I just am thriving to steer away from it but when something occurs way out of line (i.e. the fire) they do get a spanked just wanted that to be out there.
2 people like this
3 responses
@simone10 (54187)
• Louisville, Kentucky
3 Sep 15
I agree about what @yukimori said about counseling and the need for attention. If they are out of control at this age, think of what it will be like when they are teens. I can tell by your post that you are concerned. With 4 children, the oldest usually do get less attention because the youngest require more attention. I hope it all works out for all of you.
2 people like this
@yukimori (10148)
• United States
2 Sep 15
Your boys are 6 and 7. At their ages, they don't have the capacity for the type of reflection you're asking them to do when you make them sit for hours or days. My knee-jerk reaction to reading this is that they are screaming for attention. It sounds like they might need more supervision than they're receiving, since that could prevent things like deliberately breaking windows and setting fires. They may be acting aggressively toward their younger siblings because the younger siblings are receiving more of your time and attention. Honestly, my advice is going to be to meet with a therapist who specializes in dealing with children. A professional would be able to help you identify the problems the boys are dealing with and could suggest techniques that will help you modify their behavior and encourage them to follow your rules. It also sounds like you could really use a chance to take a break and recharge. Is that a realistic possibility for you at this point?
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@wetnosedogs (1533)
• United States
6 Sep 15
What ever you decide is right, Bless you and the children.It is tough.