As I've stated before, my step dad & I don't get along very well. I've tried hard to establish at least a friendship with him, but he won't have it. Oh well. His loss. There is a lot of resentment on both sides & jealousy on his part, but I'm starting to see the real problem, which is my mom. She has no clue about healthy boundaries... trust me. The boundaries set between us are the ones I laid out. Obviously I'm the one in the adult role here.

But after reading many posts on this site I've come to understand my step dad's point of view, which is the reason I came here. Now, he's not a saint, but I recognized the lack of boundaries there & that sometimes he had a right to be jealous of me & my mom. My mother has this tendency to throw me into the middle of them, & he thinks I'm the one intruding. That could cause some resentment on his part, which caused me to resent him in return. Sheesh.

Anyway, I just wanted to thank you guys for helping me to see the truth so I could make things right. I know I can't make anybody do anything, but I can at least recognize that I need to be the one to set the boundaries for their relationship (sheesh, why do I have to do everything!) & not allow my mother to have me "intrude" on their time. Good news... I went out with my family for shopping & dining, & I have to say I had a really good time. My step dad & I got along great. It was really nice. So evidently, making my mother pay attention to him instead of me is working. I wish I had recognized this long ago, but maybe I just needed to be an adult so I could handle this situation like one. Oh well, better late than never.

Thanks again guys!