Hey, before I begin I want to say I love my little brother with all my heart. I am 26 and he is 8. He has ADHD and his behaviors drive me CRAZY!! I am not used to this sort of thing. I am an accountant, so I don’t deal with this type of thing at work or anything. I was in college when my step mother had my borther. Therefore, I was not around him very often. However now that I have moved to a house near home, I am asked to babysit him, which noramally I would not mind. However, his behaviors are SOOO BAD. I CAN NOT handle him at times. Sometimes I just let him do what he wants because I feel I have no control. He bothers the dogs to the point that they want to bite him. He tears things off of my walls. He is constantly screaming obsenities at me or my husband.
I guess what I am asking for here is a little advice on how to help him control his behaviors. Also, are there any techniques to help me stay calm when dealing with him? ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.
Hey, I think that it is so great that you are looking for ways to have better interactions with your younger brother, it would be very easy to just not have the time for him. I would suggest that first you talk with your dad and stepmom. What kind of things do they do in their home to help curb these behaviors? If they are as lost as you are, I would suggest you look into something like “1 2 3 Magic” by Thomas Phelan. It’s a behavioral program for kids 2-12. You can find it in book and video form, I’d check your local library, and I suggest using both. They aren’t identical in information. What is important is that you and your parents are consistent with your interventions, and using the same methods can really help. Your brother will begin to know what to expect. If he needs more help, ie. a psychologist or psychiatrist, that’s up to his parents, but you can suggest it. Parenting ADHD kids can be hard, and requires advanced parenting skills. It can really help to have an outside party helping with it all. Good luck