Struggling

I've had a lot going through my mind the last few weeks and I'm to the point where I feel like I'm going to explode if I don't get some of it out, even if nobody reads this or nobody cares.

Life has been HARD lately. Very hard. We have been having some major difficulties with Caden and I feel like it's tearing us all apart. I'm on the fence about if I should keep these battles private or if I should share them and perhaps find some support in other people that might be going through the same battles. The problem is that I feel like when I do start to share, the majority of people think I must be exaggerating or start to attack me for daring to say something negative about my child. People don't believe me and I think that's one of the hardest things to deal with.

The truth is, Caden has become a very angry and very violent child. He's not like this at school, he's not usually like this around strangers or extended family. But at home? It's a completely different story. Caden hits, kicks, pinches, spits, bites, and throws things at me on a daily basis. Usually many, many, MANY times a day.  He does the same to Greg and the worst part - he does the same to Shepard. The other day Caden was hitting me with an umbrella. His newest thing is throwing objects at me, most often - kitchen chairs. He's five years old. And he's throwing kitchen chairs at me. I am devastated by what this is putting everybody through and I'm terrified of what he's going to be like when he's older if he continues on this path.

We shared some of our concerns with Caden's pediatrician last month and she strongly suggested we start seeing a therapist to help Caden deal with his anger. For the last few weeks we've been going to a therapist now and though she seems to have some great ideas, Caden's behavior has amplified considerably with the changes we've made. It's getting harder and harder to see the good things in him when he spends so much of his day screaming at and attacking me. I feel very hopeless and very alone.

I love Caden and I always will. But we've had so many emotional struggles during his short life. We've struggled - and still struggle with - his speech apraxia and inability to be understood by most people, at least the first and second time he repeats himself. I know he must be hurting too in ways I probably can't understand. He's frustrated and feels like the only time he can let that go is in the safety of his own home. But...he's hurting us. Physically, emotionally, deeply. I just wish it didn't have to be this way.