The 8 year old hiding inside my son

I love my son, when it is bedtime and he comes up to me and asks me if he can have a hug and a kiss. In his world the 4 foot hole in my wall is gone,and he hasn't spent the last 2 1/2 hours throwing a fit.
That is the one thing all my reading never prepared me for, those burst of pique from the 8 year old hiding inside my son's body. He wants to be heard, he wants a soda, He wants a fruit rollup, and how come we aren't hearing him?
It was easier to just not deal with those little temper tantrums when he was small. You just walked away and let it go. Now he is 16, and 145 pounds of solid muscle, and you can't just walk away from the 8 year olds temper tantrums. You have to face them.
I guess we are fortunate, in that we have Dr Dan. He has helped us, so very, very much. He has taught us how to not argue with Alex when he is winding up. He has helped us find medication, which helps Alex to be more a part of the world out here. And today, when the 16 year old Alex wants a hug before bed, because it is the ritual, He gets one, and I know the 8 year old hiding in there is happy as a lark.

Threats

Today could have been great. It seemed like it was going to be okay. Day 6 of a med-less child, and he is finally starting to come into the normalcy, but of course, I got my hopes up again.
Alex finished the night with a fit of ugly temper, asking me what I was going to do and I finally lost it. I mean really how much stress can a person live with?
My husband doesn't have to, he gets to go to work, he spends his nights not fighting with teenagers, not being afraid of psychotic exes, and mostly not living the insanity, and then he threatens me with divorce, because I finally have had enough. Really, you are going to threaten me, grow up, I spend all my time building bridges, and he decides to threaten to leave. I hear this all the time from someone, Josh is going to leave, then what am I gonna do? I hate to say it but I truly hope he does so he can see how good it is here. A 17 year old who threatens, ooh big fear, maybe you should worry about graduating first? Alex threatens to join the military and when you try and explain the reason he can't he threatens to move out and go to another country and show me he can be in the military. I wonder if it would cause an international incident? He talks about becoming a dictator all the time. He tells me how great he is doing and then he tells me again, again and again. Do I seem angry, I am cause sometimes you need a little extra support and I guess i need to find someplace where i can get the support i cannot get at home. 
  I love them, but sometimes, when i am tired and my head is throbbing, and my arm is on fire, I just need a little help. Today was that day... 

May I have another please Sir

Living with a teenager who is detoxing from years of meeds is like shooting yourself in the foot.
First is the blank stare, directly followed by the utter howl of pain and frustration. I am at the utter howl.
Trying a new concept, not buying in. Not working as well as hoped, course my ears can only handle an hour of ShrillShreeky (you know the noise attached to your a name when they are sent to bed. )
I want quiet insanity, well behaved children, who sit quietly. Stepford children look pretty good to me now. But who would liven my day then? I would probably. Go crazy trying to figure out why they aren't try ing to kill me