Christianity Oasis Forum

[atang]

I don't know if anyone on here has experienced what I am going through, but I really need prayer for my family. I need prayer for God to give me and my husband strength and to bring healing to my stepson. Many times, it feels like our lives are controlled by my ten year old stepson who has high functioning autism and adhd. Sometimes I think he may also be bipolar because his moods can switch many times in one day. We spend so much time and energy on him and he is very disrespectful and usually misbehaves. My husband and I have had custody of his son for three years now. The events surrounding the custody battle were terrible and now my stepson only sees his mom for supervised visitation one weekend per month. He used to always say he wanted to live with his dad, but now he is very angry that he can't see his mom and is angry that we told him she is unable to make safe choices. My stepson constantly gets into trouble at school and does not keep his hands to himself. He also lies and is very manipulative and becomes aggressive when he does not get his way. It is also difficult because he almost never stops talking. I feel like he really needs medicine but my husband refuses to listen because of all the side affects. There are a lot of things my husband and I do not agree on, even though we are both Christians. I love both my husband and stepson, but sometimes I feel like I just want to give up and leave. I know I couldn't really do that though. Please pray that God will bring wisdom, peace and healing to my family.

[Mackenaw]

Hello Atang

God bless you and welcome to Christianity Oasis.

Prayers are rising to our Lord in the name of Jesus on behalf of you, your husband and your step-son. May God's blessed will be done.


Atang, there is another Forum on this site called "Rising Above It All" in which many have posted in the past on various topics, including Autism. I encourage you to check out the Forum and the posts -- you may find some suggestions and encouragement from some of the other members who have and are dealing with the same challenges.

Here is a link to the Forum "Rising Above It All" : viewforum.php?f=64

I'm glad The Lord led you here, and I hope to see you around the site, often.

God bless and keep you, Atang.
In Christ Jesus' love,
Sister Mack

[atang]

Thank you, Sister Mack. I will check out this forum.

[Timothy]

We have an understanding of what you are experiencing.
Our prayers are with you.

Will be looking for your posts on this subject in the "Rising Above It All" forum.

May His peace be with you.
Timothy & family

[redbandit]

Praying rite now for you Atang! I have bipolar disorder, it is a very difficult condition.
Hugs

[lostnsavd]

Dear Friend,

First let me say that I give you a lot of credit for the love and concern you have for your stepson. Please understand that he has been a victim and deeply hurt. Often times when a victim has been offended (hurt), they become an offender by hurting back with negative attention, manipulation and the like. Does that make sense? I encourage you to be the loving Godly role model he so desperately needs. A boy needs a Godly mother role model in their life to model the kind of women he will one day desire. Think about that.

You don't mention if your step-son is involved in church or whether or not you have a family time of devotion together, which I strongly encourage you too, because this young man needs to see how important Jesus is in his parents lives. That God is a Holy God that is to be revered, and also a loving God (Father) Who desires to have a relationship with your stepson.

There is no easy answer, and I have to agree with your husband to avoid meds., if at all possible. The best medicine is Jesus Christ. I pray you hang in there dear one. This young man needs you in his life. I am going to be praying for spiritual strength and endurance for you. And remember. "One "small" achievable goal at a time."

Tender blessings,

[atang]

Thank you. I believe your words are out of kindness. Yes, we take my stepson to church almost every sunday and he loves sunday school. He also recently attended a vacation bible school and seemed to get a lot out of it. A couple years ago, he invited Christ to live in his heart. Our family does need to find more time though to do devotions and prayer together like we used to.
A few months ago, I took my stepson to a holistic doctor and he is on supplements and an all natural sleep medication which actually works at getting him to sleep. Most of his problems now are in the day time especially when he is in school. His moods switch on and off a lot and he is a sensory seeker who is constantly looking for input. I completely understand what you are saying about him being a victim. I believe a lot of his defiance comes from his unstable upbringing, but a lot of his behavior also comes from adhd and a complete lack of control. When I first met him, he was three years old and living with his mom at her
mother's house which was more of a stable enviornment at the time. I watched this little boy literally run huge laps in his grandmother's backyard for two hours at a time without getting tired. There are some days in the summer now when he gets five hours of exercise and still can not get to sleep unless he has his herbal medicine. He is very easily excited which causes him to loose control at school. Many times, he is not angry just extremely exicted and ends up not listening or hurting some one. Later, when he has calmed down, he regrets what he has done. My stepson even tells me it is hard to act mature with adhd. He is extremely sensory seeking and is constantly needing to put something in his mouth or touch something or crash into something or some one. He also gets extremely angry when he does not get his way. He has said sometimes he feels his body does not want to listen to his brain. I feel so bad, because I do not feel this is a regular case of adhd where a kid can just change their diet and routine a little bit to help. I feel he would really benefit from one or two medications.
I completely agree that we all need God and I will never stop believing that God can and will heal my stepson. I just believe that sometimes children and adults need medication for mental health issues and God is not upset with them for taking medication. I do also believe that some children are over medicated and that we might be too quick to diagnose a kid as having adhd.

[redbandit]

I don't believe there is anything wrong with taking medications. I know while a child is still developing physically and mentally doctors are or should be extra cautious with what and if they prescribe.
I believe that God can heal us miraculously , but I think he usually chooses other means, like by giving doctors wisdom and knowledge in treating patients.

[Truesovereigncrown]

Prayer has gone up sis, our Dear and faithful Lord has the situation in his capable hands.
God bless you and yours.
praise Jesus,