I'm a member of another forum and I came across this thread about an aunty who is concerned about her sister and nephew. Here is her OP (its completely mental!)
Quote
I'm really worried about how my sister is coping with bringing up my nephew. I don't know what to do about it, if I'm honest.
I'll start by saying she adores him, she lives and breathes for him. His father isn't involved. He's 9 years old and they both live with my parents. I sleep at my parents house a couple of times a month so I've seen first hand what goes on.
She's a total pushover, she gives into his every whim to the point of it being unhealthy.
He cries over everything. If you ask him a question while he's watching telly, he'll cry cos you interrupted him. If you offer him food when he isn't hungry, he'll cry. He routinely ignores everyone in the house when they speak to him, and god forbid, they repeat the question, he loses it altogether and it turns into a fit of rage. If you look at him when he's having one of these moments, all hell breaks loose, to the point where my sister gave out to me earlier for looking at him because it made him go even crazier. My sister sees no issue with this.
If he's playing a game with his cousins and he loses, he cries. If he wants something they have and they won't give it, he cries. Sister then gives out to his cousins and because of that no one will play with him now.
He whatever and whenever he wants. He's never had a vegetable in his life. He has takeaway pizza every single night for dinner, no exaggeration. Its routine for him to eat 6 bags of crisps in one setting. His breakfast before school is a whole packet of jaffa cakes. His diet is appalling but once again, its her giving into him. He drinks fanta and coke all day long, will cry if offered water and won't drink milk either.
He still has a dummy and refuses to give it up. He also refuses to brush his teeth, sister doesn't make him so his mouth is literally deformed and his teeth are black.
He is also allowed to play 18+ games on the playstation, and has done since he was about 6. He plays Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and a few others I don't know the names of. He regularly threatens to blow people up if they do something he doesn't like and I think its from these games.
He has no bedtime and goes to bed when he pleases. It is now 1:13am as I type this and I can hear him in the next room playing the playstation. He's fully dressed and hasn't had his bath yet, my sister is sitting next to him, practically asleep sitting up, waiting for him to finish (which will be whenever he wants) so she can bath him and put him to bed because he won't sleep alone. It isn't uncommon for him to be awake until 2-3am on school nights.
Last night he was out playing on the street until half 12 at night, kicking a ball around, while my sister watched from the garden gate.
The funny thing is that his teachers report him to be bright, quiet, and friendly. Never ONCE has he misbehaved in school which leads me to believe that he knows this behaviour is wrong and that he would get in trouble for it at school. As a side note, he's had psychological testing done at the request of our parents and they found absolutely nothing wrong with him whatsoever.
My sister loves him but honestly, she's turning him into a monster. He isn't a pleasant child to be around and none of the children in the family will play with him because of it.
I got so frustrated tonight when she got mad at me for simply LOOKING AT HIM I said I was going to report her to social services, which I know is wrong, but I don't know what else I can do about this. We've spoken to her time and time again but she doesn't care, she just wants to give him everything he wants.
I honestly think that by giving him everything he wants she is neglecting his needs (ie. a healthy diet and sleep, never mind the behavioural problems) and I've told her she is mistreating him but she doesn't agree. She said he's a happy boy - which he is, until he doesn't get his own way.
Does anyone have any advice on what I can do?
This sounds like an absolute fucking nightmare. Although I'm sure it's still All Worth It just to see the smile on his face when he's snarfing a whole pack of jaffa cakes!
mob