a letter from a mum

How do I deal with my child? He is rude and unmanageable. He is forgetful and disorganised. He is selfish and cruel. He has turned into a monster.

My Reply:If your son went missing, what would you do? Would you heave a sigh of relief and wish he were gone forever? Or would you do everything you could to find him and bring him back home again? Why would you want to do that when you know that you are just bringing a "monster" back home? When you are just bringing back more heartache?It is because...we love our children DESPITE what they are. In your question, you have used only negative terms to describe your child. Is there nothing good in that child that is worth highlighting? Focus on the good and he will feel there is a need to to live up to those positive terms. When you focus on the negative, he is only living up to your low expectations of him. You don't just have a child. You have a gift from God. cherish him the way a wonderful gift should be cherished.