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At what age should my stepdaughter stop sitting on my husband's lap?

lcooper's picture

This is a genuine concern of mine that I don't feel I have an easy answer for. My stepdaughter is only 11, but she is 5'4 and developed. She looks about 15. She is also going through many of the emotional changes of puberty, like mood swings, etc.... My concern is this, she hangs on her father, my husband, much like a very small child would, say of 5 or 6. She drapes herself across him, sits on his lap, spoons him on the couch, and kisses him all over his face when she is in these positions. My mother first pointed out to me that she thought this type of behavior was inappropriate at this age, so I have begun to take notice. It actually seems to have increased lately. And I don't know if it should, but it really bothers me to see this developed young lady spooning my husband on the couch. Do you guys think this is appropriate? I have approached my husband with it, but he is not sure there is anything wrong with it. Opinions appreciated.

Thanks

lcooper

Comments

Nymh's picture

And for some reason the husbands never seem to think there's a problem with it until it's pointed out to them that other people might think there is. I think it really depends on how much inappropriate behavior she's doing. Like in the most recent case before yours on this site that I can remember, the child would bounce up and down on her dad's lap and do some really obviously inappropriate things. What all else does the child do besides hugging and spooning him? Does she ever do anything that could be considered sexual, especially to an outsider (I think spooning is, but some people might not)? Long kisses on the lips, bouncing on his lap, feeling his skin under his shirt, etc?

*~So sayeth Nymh~*

lcooper's picture

She does not kiss him in a sexual manner, or go inside of his clothing or anything like that, no. It's a little hard to explain, she pretzels him I guess, she will straddle him to hug him, stroke his hair and kiss his forehead. Nothing outwardly sexual, I don't think that's her intention. It is just disturbing to see it because she looks like such a young lady, just that makes it appear a bit sexual. When she sits on his lap for instance, it looks like a woman sitting on his lap. That's about all I can think of at the moment.

Avalin's picture

I recall when i was 14 I was dreaming of kissing boys my age. I love my dad to death but at that age I was not sitting on his lap anymore. I do see it in my fiance and my 4 yr. stepdaughter. my fiance loves that she sits on his lap along with his 6 year old son. She gives him kisses all over his face and if she sees my fiance kissing me on the cheek then she will push her way in and I have been in their lives for 2-3 years now but she gets jealous. However, being a teen it is unappropriated and you need to discuss this with your husband that she can't be doing that anymore. You should raise your concerns that if someone outside the family or someone at her school finds out he could be in serious trouble because he is giving in to the behavior. Trust me you do not want child protective services around and we had to deal with them because one of the kids said something without even thinking at school and the teacher reported it without even telling us. Child protective services are great in the serious matter and it's great that they are around but if it's a matter that you and your husband can discuss then you do not want them around, we had to pay a lawyer and god do they think they are FBI. My advice is to try to explain to your husband with a positive approach that it's for his interest and my stepdaughter. I hope I didn't sound too harsh on this.

Avalin

Anonymous's picture

I remember this happening at that age exactly to my husband with his 'ex' step-daughter (not his bio daughter...his ex-wife's daughter from a previous relationship who he raised from age 3-present 14). I was really uncomfortable with it and thought it very odd. She used to hang all over him, run to get right next to him on the couch- run up to him and kiss him, 'daddy, daddy' - like a small child and she would actually get on the floor and wrestle around w/him and our other children (age 2, 5, 5. 6) This went on for about 6m -1 yr. It seemed that she was jealous of me and the behavior increased whenever I was around or I had just gotten done sitting w/my husband, etc. I mentioned it to him and he just became more aware of it. It tappered off w/o us really getting into it. I think it just might be a phase...similar to other replys here. Id mention it to your husband just so he's aware that others might feel uncomfortable and/or that it is getting inappropriate due to her age and development.

strugglingat28's picture

Hi, you can read my blog from last week about this too. My SD, who is also 11 yo, tries to sleep with her dad, too, along with the other things you mentioned, etc. Look for the blog posted by me "strugglingat28" with a similar title. You can read what others told me about this situation, too.
Glad to know I'm not alone in feeling this way.
Take care!

lcooper's picture

strugglingat28 - First of all, best of luck to you with your pending divorce. And thank you so much for thinking of me while you are going through so much yourself. Your blog about similar inappropriate behavior was very helpful. I showed many of the responses to my husband, and he is taking steps to stop SD from hanging on him. He respects how I feel about the situation, and also realizes that SD can become confused by her feelings for him if allowed to continue. So, we will see how she reacts to his putting her off. Thanks for all of the support.

whereamIwhoru's picture

My sd is 12 and she is the same way....it really freaks me out, and while I was never like that as a child, even though I'm a daddy's girl, I did have a friend who was an only child who was like that....I'm lucky though, atleast if I tell her it's making me sick, my husband tells her it is getting a little annoying. I don't know what to do about it...there are pluses I guess, if she gets positive affection from her dad maybe she won't seek it from boys in other ....sexual ways. and at the same time I 100 % agree with you, it's NOT appropriate at all. Sometimes, I think it's her trying to make me feel jealous or possibly get my husband to disagree with me that she shouldn't be doing it....

Catch22's picture

And I would find it inappropriate for him to do those things to me. I know this is not the point but just to turn it around to a mother and son and not a step but a Bio kid and opposite sex, it's all the same really. My son gets plenty of love and affection with hugs and appropriate attention for age and gender. My 11 year old SS hangs off his dad and swings off his leg and lays all over him on the couch and I thnk he looks like a big baby, but it doesn't bother me.

If you look at it from a point of veiw of a son doing it to his dad the sexual content is taken out of the equation, therefore I can see in our case that SS is just out for attention and love as he gets none at home with his mother.

Maybe this is similar problem for you ladies with your Sd's. When DH puts a lot of attention on me and our BS2, SS gets worse and clings more to his father. Maybe we have something there?? I wouldn't think in all cases it is sexual but surely inappropriate anyway. If it were father/daughter with my DH, I would ask him to sit her down and tell her how much he loved her, but there is an age where the nature of their affection has to change a little to accommodate society and to teach her how to act appropriately for her future, because really, if she thinks that affection is normal she could get herself in many a situation in years to come.

Catch xx
*Mean People Suck*

Anne 8102's picture

My oldest SD was ten when I married her dad and she was VERY clingy. She would always climb up on his lap, lean up against him when he was sitting on the couch, hug him a zillion times a day. I knew her story, though, and knew this was just a little girl who was unsure where she stood in his life. She is actually NOT my husband's biological child. She was conceived during an affair her mother had while DH was deployed in the first Gulf War. Anyway, he agreed to raise her as his own, they had two more children and all was good until BM got caught cheating again and they finally divorced. After the divorce, BM told SD that DH was not her real dad. She was only six. BM had paternity established in the bio father so that she could collect CS from two men, which netted her more money, and SD suddenly had to deal with having two dads. She had to go on visitation with the new dad and DH didn't have any rights to her at all. Anyway, DH never abandoned her and continues to claim her as his own to this day, but this was a horribly confusing thing for this little girl to go through. First the divorce and then having two dads. She had a hard time making the adjustment and dealing with her abandonment issues. So, she would climb up on DH's lap practically before his ass ever hit the couch. It wasn't just him, though, she also clung to ME a lot in the early years, too. She would sit on my lap, curl up in my arms, hug me whenever I walked by, and wanted to be with me every second we had the kids for visitation. I took her aside and reassured her that I loved her just as much as his other two "real" children and just as much as I loved my own "real" child and that would never change. I made sure she knew she would always have a place in our family, would always be one of "our" kids and would always have us in her life as another set of parents. I never turned her away when she'd come to me for affection and neither did her dad, but as puberty approached, she did gradually stop being so clingy and physically affectionate with both of us. She was also pretty well-developed for her age, but inside that young woman's body was a little girl who had regressed a lot psychologically and, really, just needed to be held and loved.

I don't know what the story is with your SD, lcooper, but if I were you, I would see if I could find out what's going on in her head, because there may be some underlying insecurity at work here. There could be something bothering her. Try to remember, too, that no matter what the outside package looks like, she's still just an 11yo girl who is nowhere near as mature mentally and emotionally as she is physically. She could be uncomfortable with the changes in her body and wants to keep being "daddy's little girl" instead of a maturing young woman. Whether her actions are coming from a place of fear/insecurity or if she's trying to usurp your place in ther father's life, I don't know, but I would focus more on the WHY than on the WHAT. Once you resolve the WHY, the WHAT will cease to be a problem.

My son will be 10 in January and he doesn't wallow all over me, anymore, but if something is bothering him, he will curl up on my lap and pour his heart out to me. No matter how old or how big you get, sometimes you still need your Mama (or Daddy!) and while most kids grow out of the clinginess by this age, she probably has something going on emotionally that is causing her to act this way. Also, the rest of the world may see her as 11 going on 15, but her dad probably just sees her as his kid, so it's no wonder he doesn't see anything wrong with it.

~ Anne ~

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lcooper's picture

I think you (almost) have her pegged. She has a lot of issues going on at home with her mother, and very new stepdad. She was forced to move far away from us, her grandparents, and all her friends, when her mother ran off and got married in Aruba with no notice about a year ago. She definitely needs more attention from her dad to try and help soothe the wounds her mother has inflicted upon her recently. The changes were so sudden, and the kids were never notified, they pretty much packed up and moved over night. AND, this was just two months after her dad and I had moved into the town they lived in just to be closer to them, her mom took them 50 minutes away. So yes, there is plenty going on emotionally. However, I think it is important that the attention she is given in all situations be appropriate for her age and development. She can be nurtured and comforted without being allowed to spoon her dad on the sofa while rubbing his thigh. Though she acts like a little girl in this way, she acts quite pubescent in others, she is extremely boy crazy, talks about things like kissing all the time. She understands about "sexual" touching and things like that, and is very curious. This is another reason I think it is not appropriate for her to behave the way she does with her dad. I am afraid she will begin to confuse her feelings for him, she has already made little comments that sound more like a girlfriend than a daughter. And, she has entirely ceased any affection for me since she started behaving this way overtly. She is outwardly unhappy when my husbsand shows any affection for me. So, in this case, I think she certainly needs some parental support for the emotional problems she is dealing with, but it has to be done without allowing her to continue on this touchy, feely, inappropriate path. It's just not healthy for her. I'll keep you posted as to how it goes.

Thanks for all the support

K.N's picture

Hi my step daughter is clingy to her dad. she is going to be 10 next month and she still likes to sit on his lap whenever he sits on the couch or even when hes at the table. of course she waits till hes done eating. In ways I can understand why shes clingy. she dont live with us so she doesnt get to see us much but she is getting to that age where she shouldnt be sitting on peoples laps. I know he misses his kids so he lets them cling all over him but I feel he should start letting her know that shes getting to old for what shes doing. I dont want to talk to him about it cause he might think im jealous that shes trying to get all the attention from her dad. We just had our own little girl 3 weeks ago.The kids havent met her yet so i dont know how things will go. Im hoping things will change with my step daughter that she will see that her daddy needs to not only take care of her but her sister too. Her sister needs more attention right now than her but i dont want her to feel felt out either. what can i do?

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Curious32's picture

My fiance has a 12 year old BS who constantly sits on his lap, hugs on him, and pulls on him whenever he's around. From what my fiance says his BS does receive affection from his BM so I can't call it. Please let me know your thoughts when it is the boy on the father's lap.

Angel's picture

If I had seen my biodaughter do that to her biodad I would have stopped it at around 6. Now, these kids are skids and as Crayon implied, they are being raised with GUILT so appropriate parenting is absent. It is all about guilt parenting.

jojo68's picture

My BF daughter(nearly 10 yr)lives full time with us and is very clingy...has the "mini me" thing going on too with her father. She acts more live a 4-5 year does. If he is sitting down, she is on top of him. If he walks to the restroom..she follows him to the door. If he steps outside, she is with him. She wants to eat what he eats, do the same things he does, imitates him when he yawns, ect. I can't sit by him when we go out to eat or an event or she throws a fit. She hardly ever visits her mother or has any friends so my BF and I never have any alone time other than when we go to bed and wake up in the morning. It hurts...it really makes me feel inferior because I am always in the background.

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TexasBelle_80's picture

GAGGGG!!! My SD12 does this too. I'm not sure if it's because of me or because the younger ones do it. But it is highly HIGHLY inappropriate. My sister even said she thought it was weird when she witnessed it. Ugh!! If I'm sitting next to DH on the couch and get up to do something, when I get back she'll be there on top of him in my spot. Generally hubby makes her move but WHAT THE HELL!! Why did he let her do it in the first place?! We have a HUGE sectional with plenty of room for everyone. And then she walks around the house in these skimpy shorts with half of her rear end hanging out. She would say they were "comfortable to sleep in" but I threw them away. I don't get it. I was never like this with my dad after about 10 or so. Yuck, yuck, yucky yuck!! I feel for you.

lisa510's picture

My SD was doing this with my husband, her "daddy." we went to visit my family and my dad was freaked out. my sd is 16 and well developed! she used to sit on his lap all the time; she would squeeze between he and I if we were seated together and one time i saw hi straddling on her butt massaging her shoulders. the behavior killed me. i thought it was jealousy, but my aunt told me the behavior was inappropriate.

i brought it to my husband's attention and it stopped for the most part. now, she lives with us and he goes to her room to say goodnight, which i have no problem with. however, last night, he stayed in her room, door closed. i suspect he was probably cuddling with her (i don't have any suspicions of him doing anything sexual!). it bothers me because she could be very snotty and gives me and her dad an attitude most of the time. so to see my husband dote over this ungrateful, spiteful teenage girl really bothers me. she doesn't appreciate him; she manipulates him.

i hate having a girl. i have two teenage boys and they are so much easier. forgive me; it's just been really trying with this young lady

Ren76's picture

I'm going through the exact SAME experience... 

it grosses me out. I'm trying my best to deal with it. I keep my mouth shut, I don't want my Fiancé to think I'm jealous of his daughter my SD but it needs to be addressed. I'm just not sure how to explain it to him, 

sometimes I think she does it on purpose to keep me away from him. She jumps in our bed at night and says she's sleeping with us or him,  I did tell him that there's no room and she needs to sleep in her own bed. But then he has to lay with her for an hour or longer I'm fine with that if it's 10min but not an hour + ugh!! Then other instances usually we all sit in the couch and she'll wrestle with him then straddle him and jump up and down gets in his face like gets over board all over him YUCK!! it just looks gross. She calls him honey I don't know?? I feel like she wrestle's with him the way him and I would do?? 
I can see if she was 3-6yrs maybe 7?? But 10?? I want nothing more for them to continue to have a father Daughter relationship, but I feel some things need to end and perhaps be playful in different ways more age appropriate. Any suggestions on how to handle this. 

Totalybogus's picture

I'm.... well...over 30... and I still sit on my dad's lap sometimes. I hug him and give him a kiss when I leave. My brother and sister do the same and both are over 30. We do the same thing to our mother.Our family is very close. I really don't see a problem with this, however, my parents are still married to each other. I think when it is your own child, you don't so much see a problem with it. When it is someone else's you just don't have the same kind of bond.

CaliStepMomma's picture

I've said the same thing on other similar threads. It depends on the context. I think that saying that at a certain age, affectionate behavior has to stop is not right. Shutting kids down completely because you're afraid of sexualizing them does exactly the opposite. It actually sexualizes them at an earlier age and they will seek the affection you deny elsewhere and probably through sexual means. Now, I think that a lot of the behaviors that kids of divorced parents exhibit do it out of feeling out of place, especially with a step parent in the mix. The kind of behavior I'm talking about is hanging on the parents, pushing in when the stepparent is getting affection, etc. This kind of behavior needs to be addressed as inappropriate while at the same time allowing for appropriate times and ways to show similar yet still appropriate types of affection. When you've got this type of behavior, clingy, it's inappropriate not because it's in any way sexual but because it's just plain inappropriate, just like if a kid was whining at or hitting their parents.

I sit on my husbands lap, as does my SD12. Usually it's when we're short seats, like waiting on a bench outside a restaurant or something. Same with all the kids. SS11 will sit on my lap, like just last week while we were camping. And, SS 9 gives me kisses. Heck, we all share blankets while we watch movies. And, SD12 will even wrestle with her dad, just like she wrestles with her Jiu Jiutsu instructor and her brothers. I really don't see anything wrong with this type of affection and have no fears of anything sexual or inappropriate between my husband and SD. Now, if she was clingy, that would be another story, but she's not, and I'm comfortable with my place in my relationship, though I do have to wonder about some of the other posters.

And, I only wonder because it can sometimes make me jealous to see DH being affectionate with the kids, especially when I'm busy doing something and can't join in, or feeling sad and wishing I could get a hug. But, really, that's childish. I acknowledge that it's OK for me to feel that way and then I move on. I get plenty of affection from my husband and don't need to compete for it or let those feelings of jealousy start me to thinking that there's anything sexual or inappropriate about him loving his kids and them loving him back. It's OK to feel jealous. In fact, it's good to acknowledge that instead of repressing it and letting it turn into unfounded accusations leading to actions that may end up coming back to bite you.

Think about it - if your stepmom said to you that you couldn't sit on your dad's lap anymore, how would you feel about it and about her? Yeah, not so good. Even if your dad told you that. Now, if you get told that you can't sit on dad's lap while he's trying to eat dinner or pull on his arm anymore, you'd probably be upset, but as long as you were allowed other times and types of affection, I'm sure you'd be fine.

So, bottom line: affection - sexual? no. clingy? not OK, needs to be dealt with.

jojo68's picture

The more I see what happens in my own home the more I see it as an attention getting thing. I notice she is all over her father when she can't get him to pay attention to her. He tells to get off and she refuses. She's also is super clingy when she is around other family members and in the public. That could be her showing everyone that this is "my daddy not hers and I am marking my territory". I dunno...I give up trying to understand..it is pointless.

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