I have spent the last ten years raising my SS23 as my own, but I am truly at the end of my rope! It doesn't matter what I tell him or how sage my advice is, he does the EXACT OPPOSITE! For example, I tell him to scoop the cat litter box, he "forgets" and tells his dad I never said anything about it. I have to give him STEP by STEP instructions, just to have him screw it up on purpose. I told him to make some campbells alphabet soup and to add one can of water for the kids while I was at school. I came home to three bowls of nasty, runny chef-boy-r-dee alphabets and meatballs....what was he thinking??? I have been telling him for years to keep his stuff picked up because with three small children in the house, accidents happen. After three weeks of telling him to put his laptop in his closet when he isn't using it, he left it in the middle of the floor...

YEP, you guessed it! Those sweet uncoordinated kids (ALL 4 of them) were jerking around in the front room and the 9 year old got tripped (by SS23 no less) and spilled a whole glass of soda RIGHT INTO THE LAPTOP!!!

ANDDDDDDD I have not one iota of sympathy for his loss- not one. But, I did spend the afternoon laughing my butt off and telling him "I told you so". His dad is just as fed up as I am with his games, he is not an imbecile but he likes to act like one. What do you do? I don't know. He has always lied to me and treated me like an outsider, but this week when I told his dad in NO uncertain terms that either his ADULT SON takes accountability for himself and starts pulling his weight, or he was going to be able to live with him forever- without me and the three babies, he finally pulled his head out of his butt and listened.
I told him it was UNFAIR that the kids were having to think for a grown man and always be responsible and look out for him to make sure he does his chores and stuff.If he can't find something (like his shoes) he sits indian-style in the floor and pouts... my five year old usually ends up picking out his clothes and finding his shoes, wallet, socks, keys, whatever it is he has lost and is too mentally strained to find it himself.

WHY have I ended up with 2 special needs kids (5 yr old and 7 yr old are both autistic) and a sharp-as-a-tack 9 year old....... and a 23 yr old that acts like he is younger than ALL OF THEM?!?!?!?!

UGH- this sux.

Thanks for listening to me rant- anyone else spend the majority of their day giving a grown adult step-by-step instructions that still get screwed up so the brat can get attention and sympathy??

Poppy