Desperate - How Do People Do This?

Today was one of those days that really make me question everything. It was a terrible day with Little Man. I really don't know what to do. He's not being aggressive thank goodness but I really don't know if I can handle this any more. I know I'm short tempered because of this cold but I am really at the end of my rope. I can't stress how desperate I am for help right now, something, anything.

Today he used up an entire roll of dental floss tying the house up, broke a keepsake of mine that is irreplaceable, hid my credit card so he could get a new toy (I don't think he was able to use it but he tried online), almost ruined my laptop by being too rough with it, smashed his head into the couch and bruised his face just by playing too rough and out of control, completely trashed the kitchen spreading shredded cheese everywhere - and I do mean everywhere - when trying to get a snack. He's so destructive, I cannot handle this. And I don't mean oh this is hard, I mean I am desperate.

He'll be 10 in a month and he's still like a toddler in so many ways. I just cannot be with him every moment and he's obviously too big to stick in a pack n play or something when I can't be with him. He doesn't have any concept of respect of other people or their things, he doesn't mean to be bad but he's constantly destroying or taking things. Punishment makes no difference whatsoever. Therapy hasn't made one bit of difference in all the years he's been in it. I think it's rather pointless to be honest. If he can't generalize real life practice, how is he suppose to generalize conversations to a real life situation? He can parrot everything back but none of it actually sinks in.

Tomorrow I'm going to Walmart and buying a lock with a combination and put everything I can think of that he destroys in our coat closet. All school supplies, Blade's tube supplies (he's obsessed with water and loves to run water through the feeding bags or rip the tubing off and run water thru them), and everything else I can think of.

How am I supposed to handle this? How do you teach a child not to do these things when he doesn't understand? Obviously I've tried telling him why not to, showing him alternatives, punishing him but it does no good. Not even momentarily. I really don't know what to do or how to keep him safe. Surely I can't be the only person who's dealt with this. I hesitate to even admit this but today some really scary thoughts passed through my mind of how in the world can I keep him at home when I can't keep him safe? He's getting bigger and can carry out much more complicated ideas but puts himself in danger if not constantly watched. I really don't know what to do and no one has answers. How do people really live like this and keep their child safe?