The purpose of family therapy is to work through issues which we are unable to address without the help of a therapist.  Usually before family therapy Middle Boy, Younger Boy, and I actually sit down and talk through things and behaviors which are going on at home that are less than ideal.  Older Boy is never a part of this discussion.  Not because he isn't part of the family, but because in that type of setting it is not productive.  If anyone says anything about his behaviors he explodes.  He really doesn't have the capacity to make behavioral changes in that manner anyway.

Both boys said tonight that I have been very stressed out lately and seem to get mad easy.  They are right.  The unfortunate part is that I can't tell them why.  I can't give them any details on Older Boy's move.  I can't even tell them he is moving or when, because I don't know.  It is putting a huge amount of stress on me.

Otherwise the boys said things seemed to be going well.

I had some things I wanted to address:  breaking things on purpose and not using things for their intended purpose, not picking up after yourself, and bedtime.

While I was talking about this Younger Boy was wrapping his arm in masking tape.  I gave that as an example of being purposefully wasteful and not using something for its intended purpose.  There were plenty of examples from after school of not picking up after yourself.

Bedtime has to change.  It has to.

After our discussion last night I was disappointed when none of those things changed.  I guess we will talk about them again tomorrow.