What drives me nuts is the kid actually uses his family as an excuse for his behavior when he talks to the principal. She of course feels sorry for him and cuts him some slack. He is very manipulative. And he doesn't pull this crap when I'm there.

When somebody presses charges against him for assault I doubt the police will take into consideration his "family issues". BTW we have no evidence that there are family issues, other than than that he is the only boy and has been allowed to do as he likes for most of his life. And now that he is about to go into middle school, his parents want to rein him in. I want to say, "Why didn't you listen to his K and first grade teachers when they told you had bullying issues?" It's not like it's a new thing for this kid. It's been a problem for the 7 years he's been in school.

V.