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he is driving me crazy! please some advice

newlymarried's picture

recently married and have a 4 year old stepson. he is so super attached to me that i can't even go to the bathroom without him standing by the door. I have 2 older daughters from a previous marriage who have never been the clingy needy children. my stepson doesn't want to do anything for himself. and he never shuts up. he talks all day. but i'm usually the only one he ask to do things. he rubs on my back and tries to kiss me in the mouth. he is always saying he loves me and how beautiful i am. at first i thought it was cute but now its just weird. I have talked to his dad about it and we have tried to talk to his son but it doesn't seem to be helping. I was laid off and am at home with him all day and its to the point i don't want to be around him much and anticipate the weekends that he spends with his biomom. somebody please help!

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andy_pandy's picture

If it's any consolation my son is 4 and I very rarely get any privacy in the bathroom either. It seems to be a boy thing. Just because the little one doesn't WANT to do things for himself doesn't mean that he can't. It might be an idea to make him do it by just refusing. I'm not suggesting that you don't get him food etc. but we make my son take off his own shirt (or to at least give it a darned good try) when it's his bathtime by waiting him out, usually he will do it just because he wants to get in the bath so much. Encouragement works wonders here "You're such a big boy, I know you can do it, yup now you just need to pull that arm out of the sleeve" etc and lots of claps etc when he manages to get it done, especially at first.

Same as clearing dishes from the table (plastic plates etc for breakfast, nothing heavy or breakable) we offer something he wants and let him know that he needs to do that task first. We of course he helped me at first then we gradually changed the balance and now he automatically gets up and clears the breakfast dishes in the morning. Now we're going through the process of teaching him to make his bed. It's all a process.

I get the kissing on the mouth thing, I find it a bit icky too, is it something that he sees you and hubby doing often? (Which i think is a good thing btw) That could be why he thinks that he can do it to, if my BS sees DP and I hugging he immediately wants to join in and so we have family cuddles Smile perhaps gently guiding him to kiss you on the cheek might work? I point to my cheek and say "give me a kiss" over and over to my LO, and in return I give him kisses etc. We still occasionally do mouth kisses but he's stopped trying to open his mouth while kissing me which is a GOOD thing!

At 4 I'm not sure that "talking" is going to do much good, it doesn't really seem to sink in. I wouldn't punish the LO for showing you affection, after all you want him to form a bond with you, but showing him a more acceptable way to show affection might help.

newlymarried's picture

Thanks. we have a very strong bond. he lives with us full time his mother is worthless. maybe you are right. I try and make him do things for himself. he has to dress and undress himself and usually bath himself(with guidance of course). He is just a very clingy child and I am very much the opposite. my mom used to tell me that i had a problem with other peoples kids. I feel sometimes that i resent the child because of his mother. and i know that is wrong. i don't know what to think. My husband says he believes he is only going through a stage. I hope he is right and i hope it passes very soon because i am the most impatient person in the world. i wish he was around the same age as my girls. they are 10 and 13. guess i really wasn't sure what i was getting myself into when i fell in love with a man who had a small child.

andy_pandy's picture

It's hard to separate the child from the parent sometimes, and it probably doesn't help that you've been here and done this before and so it must feel a little like you're starting all over again!!

I think it is a phase that they go through, my LO used to be in daycare while I worked and I'd drop him off every day and he wouldn't even look back, he was so glad to be with his friends (used to absolutely break my heart!!) then all of the sudden he just DIDN'T want me to go! He started crying and begging me to take him home - same centre, same people, same carers (which broke my heart again!) then he snapped out of it one day and was happy as larry again. He still gets times when he's moody and clingy and nobody but Mum will do but he's generally a pretty happy camper.

newlymarried's picture

I feel like he's as bad as our dog sometimes the way he follows me around. I actually woke up this morning to him standing at the side of the bed just staring at me. Then he gets in bed with me and is watching cartoons. I fell back to sleep and was awakened again to him REALLY close to my face just staring at me. Its getting really weird for me. is this something i need to talk to someone about? He followed me to the bathroom yesterday and when i wouldn't let him come in he stands outside the door talking to me the entire time i am in there. i can't even take the dog out without him trying to sneak out the door so he can go with me. I don't know how to handle it anymore. We have tried everything. any suggestions is graetly appreciated.

newlymarried's picture

Maybe you are right and thanks for your insight. I am just so tired and annoyed with him. Its terrible but i pray for nap time everyday. and its bad that i am to the point of feeling this qy because i love him to death,but holy crap i feel like he is suffocating me. He is the same way as you ss. any time is it he is right on top of me. and my ss is the same way with hugs and kisses. its like every 5 minutes he needs a hug or needs to kiss me. im just really weirded out by it. My bc were never that way. they just did their own thing and knew I was still there. I wonder if my ss has a fear of me leaving. He lived with his bm before we got him. she started stripping and staying drunk and in different guys beds all the time. she lost her apartment and had to move in with her parents. she has no vehicle now either. so we filed for custody and she signed him over without questioning. she didn't even show up at the court hearing. so now he sees her every other weekend and we split holidays. maybe he is afraid if he doesn't stay right on top of me i will abandon him to! and do they grow out of whinning? i mean seriously, he whines all the time. i think it makes it harder for me because i am currently unemployed and he isn't in school and still on the waiting list for head start so i am with him almost 24/.UGH!

Thetis's picture

I gotta say that boys are usually more lovey and clingy then girls. My nephew, who I used to watch for his mom, would follow me every where. If he went to do anything else he would come running back every five minutes to give me a hug.
I would suggest you make sure that when your Dh comes home, you go do something for yourself, even if its a hour long bath or walk. It helps alot to be alone! Also try to find something he's into that will steal his attention. There are some awesome free online games that help to teach children how to read and write. Uptoten.com is a good one my Sd loves! That way you both can have some personal time. Teaching him to be able to be alone is a very important lesson.
Good luck!

newlymarried's picture

Thanks so much i think im going to try that. maybe even get some playstation games for him and maybe that will get him off me.