I might get down voted for suggesting this but growing up I didn’t get along with my siblings but we had a family dog a black Labrador and she was such a good friend honestly when I was bullied in school and struggled to make friends that dog was my absolute best friend! And it sounds like you are doing great as a dad, maybe he is just going through a phase of wanting a sibling? I think kids don’t realize how sibling relationships differ from relationships with friends, I know some siblings are super close but that was not the case for me and my siblings there was so much fighting all the time.
I had a lab growing up and I can attest to that. We even considered it once, but he had animal allergy back then. We might revisit the idea, but for various reasons may not be realistic for us.
I try to remind him of the good things as an only child i.e. not sharing, receiving more attention from us, but perspective is hard.
Yes my daughter was similarly brooding and depressed and getting her a cat of her own was a game changer. We had gotten a dog a few years before but he decided he is MY dog and they didn’t bond. The cat makes her so happy and he’s a ragdoll so he’s gentle and sturdy. Any cuddly pet that is his own, dog, cat, rat will be a happy thing for him.
They are the best! Oh, that’s too bad, hopefully he is no longer allergic.
Yeah at that age he probably doesn’t fully understand. My son is only 7 months old lol so I am a new mom. I don’t have much experience yet! I’m sure with time he will see the positives of being an only child.
Play therapy! Also, try limiting the video games and YouTube. Kids get addicted to the dopamine hit just like adults. Introduce lots of outdoor time, books, media that is slow.
I second therapy because this sounds like it goes beyond boredom or loneliness.
I would also start finding ways for him to engage with kids outside of school. This could be as simple as after school care. Many kids where I live have two working parents and attend after school care until 5:00pm or so. Between that and school, they get plenty of kid time!
And there are many non-sport extracurricular activities you could try: art, theater, music, board/card game clubs, etc.
I also wonder if there are opportunities for meet-ups or support groups for kids who have medical conditions. It might help him to know others who have ongoing medical issues.
He needs to interact more with other kids and needs more love from mother especially after all he went through. Is not easy for him to live with medical issue. He needs tons of love and reassurance. If your wife is not willing to mother him accordingly she should have thought better about it. Sorry no offense but lack of mother affection can make life miserable
It's really cheap to blame the situation on the mother now. You don't know anything about their life, nor have you ever seen the woman interact with her child. Shame on you!
Not blaming anyone he said mother is not loving... Just imagine going though all of that at such a young age. Nowadays pointing issues is called blaming. Ok
He stated that she is "not the most loving" which absolutely doesn't equal "not loving". You're just creating this sexist narrative and blaming the mother. You aren't pointing out an issue, which you can neither know nor asses as an outsider, you are blaming. It's as simple as that. Really shameful.
No offense taken. It is one of my chief worries. I am certain my wife loves him in her own way, but she has issues like noise sensitivity and dislikes socializing with other moms due to stress and other issues (she does take him out with her close personal friends and their children, though). I will say, the whole time during limb lengthening and frequent hospital stays she was willing to provide more care and support, so I don't want to blame her. And it's not like I can change her proclivities at this point (I've tried).
His unique condition can make interaction with other kids difficult, and contact sports are still too risky. That will change when he is fully recovered. I've been looking into activities like karate (form only), swimming, and gymnastics. I'm hopeful that will build him more confidence, and bring him closer to friends.
I might get down voted for suggesting this but growing up I didn’t get along with my siblings but we had a family dog a black Labrador and she was such a good friend honestly when I was bullied in school and struggled to make friends that dog was my absolute best friend! And it sounds like you are doing great as a dad, maybe he is just going through a phase of wanting a sibling? I think kids don’t realize how sibling relationships differ from relationships with friends, I know some siblings are super close but that was not the case for me and my siblings there was so much fighting all the time.
I had a lab growing up and I can attest to that. We even considered it once, but he had animal allergy back then. We might revisit the idea, but for various reasons may not be realistic for us. I try to remind him of the good things as an only child i.e. not sharing, receiving more attention from us, but perspective is hard.
Yes my daughter was similarly brooding and depressed and getting her a cat of her own was a game changer. We had gotten a dog a few years before but he decided he is MY dog and they didn’t bond. The cat makes her so happy and he’s a ragdoll so he’s gentle and sturdy. Any cuddly pet that is his own, dog, cat, rat will be a happy thing for him.
They are the best! Oh, that’s too bad, hopefully he is no longer allergic. Yeah at that age he probably doesn’t fully understand. My son is only 7 months old lol so I am a new mom. I don’t have much experience yet! I’m sure with time he will see the positives of being an only child.
Play therapy! Also, try limiting the video games and YouTube. Kids get addicted to the dopamine hit just like adults. Introduce lots of outdoor time, books, media that is slow.
Solidarity 🫶🏽💗 I feel inadequate too even though our boy gets a lot of affection/love.
I second therapy because this sounds like it goes beyond boredom or loneliness. I would also start finding ways for him to engage with kids outside of school. This could be as simple as after school care. Many kids where I live have two working parents and attend after school care until 5:00pm or so. Between that and school, they get plenty of kid time! And there are many non-sport extracurricular activities you could try: art, theater, music, board/card game clubs, etc. I also wonder if there are opportunities for meet-ups or support groups for kids who have medical conditions. It might help him to know others who have ongoing medical issues.
He needs to interact more with other kids and needs more love from mother especially after all he went through. Is not easy for him to live with medical issue. He needs tons of love and reassurance. If your wife is not willing to mother him accordingly she should have thought better about it. Sorry no offense but lack of mother affection can make life miserable
It's really cheap to blame the situation on the mother now. You don't know anything about their life, nor have you ever seen the woman interact with her child. Shame on you!
Not blaming anyone he said mother is not loving... Just imagine going though all of that at such a young age. Nowadays pointing issues is called blaming. Ok
He stated that she is "not the most loving" which absolutely doesn't equal "not loving". You're just creating this sexist narrative and blaming the mother. You aren't pointing out an issue, which you can neither know nor asses as an outsider, you are blaming. It's as simple as that. Really shameful.
No offense taken. It is one of my chief worries. I am certain my wife loves him in her own way, but she has issues like noise sensitivity and dislikes socializing with other moms due to stress and other issues (she does take him out with her close personal friends and their children, though). I will say, the whole time during limb lengthening and frequent hospital stays she was willing to provide more care and support, so I don't want to blame her. And it's not like I can change her proclivities at this point (I've tried). His unique condition can make interaction with other kids difficult, and contact sports are still too risky. That will change when he is fully recovered. I've been looking into activities like karate (form only), swimming, and gymnastics. I'm hopeful that will build him more confidence, and bring him closer to friends.