What can I do!?!

We have been struggling with our son's emotional behavior in the past year or so. He can be so aggressive and a bit too happy to have everyone yelling and giving him negative attention (yes I am a yeller). He is very much one of the kids I never thought I'd have. I seem to be two for two on that front. But God knows; He knows what He and I can handle together and even though I can feel alone sometimes, He remains with me.

My son is a smart cookie. I don't think he will have difficulty in school other than being a bit bored (which will breed its own issues). He is definitely his father's son and loves to ask every question possible if he gets wind of anything new. And he takes everything in: emotions, anxieties, stories, new, etc, etc, etc. He overwhelms me to be honest and I can easily feel anxious when spending my days with him. So I can't imagine how his hearing so much of our worries effects him.

A close friend mentioned the thought, and for some reason it hadn't really dawned on me that this kid has a special needs sister. His childhood is different due to that. She consumes a lot of our time, thoughts, and conversations. I guess I failed to notice how that would impact him in the long run. And since worry doesn't do anything to help, I need to find a real way to see if some relief in this area will relieve some of his anxiety and emotional eruptions.

First on the list is looking for some books for kids and on kids with siblings of special needs kids. Second, is trying to limit his exposure to talking about Our Girl's "stuff" in front of him. Third, I need to be taking specific time in my days to spend with him doing something he wants to do. And fourth I want to work harder on myself, to stop raising my voice and jumping into a yelling match with this kid. I know it hasn't helped and we feed off of each other's frustration. It's one of my weaknesses and it's been a hard one to break.

So I'm going to kick off with these. Hand in hand with some of the amazing ideas and points from Simplicity Parenting I am hoping I can help get my dear boy to find some peace.