Hope?

I went to the counselor with my husband this morning. It is the first time he has gone with me to an appointment and it turns out to be a very positive experience.

The counselor tells my husband what our son has said. He seems open and receptive to doing anything that will make things better for our son.

She tells us that our son can come to her and talk things out and learn how to express things better but ultimately it will be us that provide a cure for him.

She says that we need to discover his triggers - and brings up my husband yelling again - and try to avoid those around our son. She says ultimately, with time, he will get better.

We set another appointment with her the following week to discuss getting our parenting methods more on the same page. He thinks I'm too permissive. I think he's too strict. She tells him when one parent has been absent for a while, the kids will tend to go to the other more stable parent to get a second opinion on discipline. He says he feels like he was always a parent, but he doesn’t seem to be offended by anything.

I feel like on many levels my husband wants to be a good husband and father but he was never given the tools by his own parents. There were no good examples around him.