We stopped doing family therapy last month. At least not with the full family. It wasn't going anywhere and all it was really doing was giving me and Therapist practice in de-escalating violent outbursts.

We are now doing family therapy with just me and one boy at a time. Typically it goes better. We have therapy with Older Boy three times a month and with Younger Boy once a month. Today it was Older Boy's turn.

On the way home so we could have therapy Older Boy was angry in the car. I had asked him a question....how was tutoring? He answered rudely. In his therapy (with Therapist, daycare, CTA, and at home) that is unacceptable. I told him he needed to try again and he sat in silence. He then asked me a question and I did the same thing...just sat there. He blew up!! Of course I was purposely trying to make him mad. I explained that it didn't feel good when someone just ignored you and it was disrespectful. He told me it is not OK for adults to do that, just kids.

Lucky us...now we have our topic for therapy. Older Boy is convinced that kids do not need to be respectful and adults have no choice. We tried to ask him what he was going to do as an adult, but we got the silent treatment.

He was coloring a picture in Therapist's coloring book during therapy. It is the easiest way to keep him semi-engaged in the session. When he was done he accidentally tore a small...REALLY small...piece off the picture when he was trying to take it out of the book. He banged his head on the wall and was FURIOUS. It was good for Therapist to see...frustrating for me to watch.

Session OVER.