[MotherOfThree3]

My 15 year old son will do anything you ask as he is getting something out of it. He is addicted to Xbox. I took it away, hid it in my bedroom & when I was at work he climbed out of one window to the next to get in my room to find his Xbox. He was punished, wasn't allowed out, when I went to work he took off on his bike. He wanted a dog, told him this was his responsibility to take care of this dog, that lasted 3 days. When he ignored the dog on the 5th day I gave the dog back to the pervious owners. I tell him to pick up his things and he says "Thats O.K I'm good" I am so lost and want direct him in the right direction.

[simoneaugie]

We get the things we want when we work for them. We get to keep them if we keep working (as adults.) Xbox, I'd give it to a friend to hang onto for a while. If you want him to pay attention to you, you must have his attention. When he says, "I'm good." is he doing something else while he's talking to you? Get strict, even if it means that you have to give up some of your own quiet time. He will thank you for it later.

[JBeaucaire]

This is a major case of "not enough going on". He's 15. This is the danger zone. Leaving a 15 year old alone every afternoon to entertain himself means he's going to ENTERTAIN HIMSELF.

How's that working so far?

XBOX restriction may sound like a good punishment, until you step back and look at the whole picture. Let's see, XBOX keeps him occupied in one spot, safe, for hours on end before I get home. There is no other chaperone and he's easily bored. Yeah, I should take away the XBOX. That will work.

You need to be honest about who he is and how old he is. If you're going to take away his luxuries, you need to be able to enforce it in a way that doesn't endanger him.

Something BIG may need to change. A change in your work schedule that allows you to be directly involved with him in the afternoons, or he needs to get involved in something truly useful and interesting to him that goes on pretty much every day. That second idea is harder, but not impossible.

It may be easier to choose your punishments more wisely. I still vote for getting him involved in something totally cool, possibly competitive, that busies up his afternoons.

Think about it.