As I have previously written, SD16 was not showering in the mornings before school. It later transpired that the normally clean SS17 was not either. The punishment for this was removal of their WIFI box. We had also said to them both to make plans with friends during the day last weekend as DH and I wanted some time for ourselves. I am pregnant, very tired and extremely worried about this baby going the distance as I have had 2 previous miscariages in the last year following gruelling IVF treatment and so do not want the stepkids in my face. We said this as SS17 has taken to mooching around the house all weekend and not leaving at all. SD16 took the punishment on the chin and duly made plans to be out and about over the weekend.

On Friday night, SS17 came in from his shift at work at a local grocers and had what can only be described as an epic meltdown/tantrum/fit. He was hysterically crying and hyperventilating saying how unfair it was and how he was scared of DH and I and that we always shout at him. DH and I don't raise our voices at them, largely give them a lot of leeway and we aren't scary at all. These are the facts and SS17 was trying every trick in the book to get the WIFI back by making us feel guilty. He then started being sarcastic and snarky with DH saying 'I think what you've done is funny, it's ridiculous' with a nasty attitude as he is still hyperventilating and carrying on. I have never seen anything like it from someone who is almost 18 years old.

The next morning I assumed the giant sized toddler would have calmed down but no. He started up again with the same hysteria and crying but only this time had scratched 2 large marks of either side of his nose for good measure. My first thoughts were 'he has done that slap bang in the centre of his face for attention'.

He then walks out of his room with a large bag and says he is going to BM's to use the internet, despite the fact that the punishment was no internet access. It was obvious from the large bag that he was planning on staying over there and not telling us and had been on the phone to BM whinging about DH and I. I piped up and said 'so are you staying there tonight?' SS17 said yes. I was p1ssed at this point as the little ingrate was not going to tell us this and had decided to run back to mummykins because he wasn't getting what he wanted in our house. This despite the fact that they both live with us fulltime now as they originally ran away from mummykins because she was mean to them. I said to SS that I thought he was doing this deliberately to cause aggravation between BM and DH and I and that it was simply unacceptable. I set the stopwatch as he left and low and behold 15 minutes later BM is on the phone to DH about SS. The litle rat was well aware that this was exactly what would happen.

SS then returns to our house later that day in a surprisingly chipper mood. It turns out that BM had bought him a brand new, top of the line MacBook despite the fact he already has one in perfect working order. Honestly, it made me sick. Maybe I should start throwing abusive tantrums so people buy me new gadgets. I blew my stack at DH later that night out of sheer frustration. I am disgusted by SS and can barely even look at him.

Any advice, anecdotes or tips on how to deal with this bulls1t? He is a few months from 18 and I expect and should get better from someone who is supposedly about to become an adult. I said to DH that I was pretty much finished with SS. If he wanted to take him out, socialise or do stuff with him, I would not be involved on any level.