You have reached the point where no physical punishment will be worth it, either short term or long term. This is the stage where all you can do is roll with it, and hope they snap out of it. It may be another 5 years tho, just so you know. I have 3 kids that were all raised by the same parents with the same rules. Two of them "got it" and my youngest was just like your 15 year old. Face it, different personalities respond differently, so you need to keep trying different approaches. My youngest was the smartest person alive at 15, didn't even need to finish high school. Now at 20, he is seeing how much he doesn't know and how much smarter Dad has become. I even get comments now like "I see what you mean about this or that!" The rules we had are now beginning to make sense and the lightbulb above his head is starting to flicker. Sometimes it helps to have bad examples....do you have relatives or friends with problem kids now in their 20s? Your the 'Authority figure' so just figure you are full of crap and are only talking to make his life difficult, so talking to someone closer to his age that's been there may carry more weight. Just remember this will pass, and you don't want to alienate him totally. He still has plenty of time to correct his course in life. Look at the good in him, I'm sure there is enough to balance this rough time. Boys typically do not develope their logical side of the brain until late teens or early 20's. I know it's tough, but sometimes the best course of action is to let it be, and make it HIS responsibility to do right and let the chips fall where they may. It's what I had to do with my youngest. It's not giving up, but accepting that you have done all the molding you can by the time they are 10-12 years old, and now need to watch what the results are. Be there for him when he needs the help and advise from old stupid Dad, it will get better.
Where do you think my sig line came from?
later, Tom.
