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Emails to BM...Need input.

Jsmom's picture

I am thinking of sending an email to BM. Keep in mind in 6 years we have spoken three times, one letter and two emails. That is it. I do not wish to communicate with her. But, she recently sent a very, very long email to my SIL defaming me horribly. If you believe everything she said I make Joan Crawford look like Mother of the Year. I am tired of everyone from the lawyers and DH to now the BM's DH having a comment about this mess. Below is what I wrote edited to remove the names. Please give me input. For those that want to bash, not in the mood and I will delete your comments. If you are going to say don't do it, don't say that either. Like I said, I am tired of everyone bashing me...

BM -

Regarding your letter last week to SIL. Please refrain from discussing any further the stories that you were told by SD15. They are outright lies and are slanderous. I have also had countless friends point out other stories that you and SD15 are saying about the short time that she and I resided in the same house. These stories are malicious and if continued will be met with a Cease and Desist from my attorney.

I have never spoken to you about the lies and manipulation that that child did while under our roof. I have left it alone. I was very good to her, but she was plotting all of this and your letter to SIL proved that, since what you heard and what actually happened are very, very different.

Several times over the last 6 years, I have wanted to reach out to you to try co-parenting together. But, SS13 and DH have both felt that that was a bad idea since you absolutely hated me. That is such a shame because all of this could have been very different. SD15 was a bright girl and if both of her parents had been on the same page with parenting and discipline, she could have had such a different life than the track she is on now. In the 5th grade that girl had everything and as soon as she got to middle school she became all about social life and boys. It would have been fine, if you two could have worked with her strong personality together. You couldn’t and now she has no relationship with DH and a reputation at school that would make most parents cringe. In my mind I really thought that as parents we could do this together rather than continue to fight each other. Other people ask about my relationship with you and I have to tell them that in 6 years, we have had two conversations, three emails, one letter and one threat to call the police. It truly did not have to be that way.

I would like to dispute several things about your letter, but it is not worth it, since you will only believe a child rather than a rational adult. I can’t even discuss the bus situation without seeing red for your allowing that to continue. Because you could not see it for what it was a child trying to get to her father, I have gone against my better judgement and allowed BS16 to drive to school to avoid further contact with Jordan.

Just one thing that I would like to point out from your diatribe, you stated that I did not allow SD15 in my office. Of course not, none of the kids are to be in my office. I work in there and have thousands of dollars of equipment for my company. Would you allow SD15 to come into the pharmacy and start using your equipment for dispensing drugs? It is the same thing…There are countless other lies and fabrications in your letter to SIL and the countless emails that you and Rick have exchanged since the day we decided to live together. From the vacation to Peru and Disney that only came up 6 months ago so they can’t possibly have been in a conversation between SD15 and I since we haven’t spoken since April 2009 to the supposed phone call and hang up from DH about days to meet with SD15. That was an email we would be happy to forward to you. I can’t dispute them all. I don’t want this to be that long…

Further, regarding your current husband’s email to DH. That was a mistake on your part to allow him to intervene. It made both of you look bad and was forwarded on to DH's attorney along with the other correspondence. His statement that he had a parenting certificate was foolish. Unless there is an occurrence with DCFS no normal parent would ever have such a document. Also, he sounded like a bully on the playground mocking SIL's Alopecia. Some of the records of his daughters are public and will come up in court. Also, please know that I would be glad to put my parenting skills up against his any day should it come to that. BS16 is a Straight A, AP Honor Student involved in countless charitable organizations and a recent Eagle Scout. His future plans and goals will put BM's DH children to shame. Add in all my volunteer work around the city with BSA, Cancer Society and NKF and the fact that I raised my son alone for 8 years and I will come out of this mess just fine. I really do not think you want it to come to that.

Your initiating contact with DH's family was out of line from the beginning. Please remember that they are not your relatives. If SD15 wants a relationship with them, she should pursue it, not you. When you divorce someone you divorce their family.

SD15 is out of control and rather than condemning DH for trying again and again and again to have a relationship with her, you should be helping him since it is so apparent to everyone that she needs a strong father in her life. On a side note, what the hell were you thinking with her hair?…You have allowed her to completely destroy her hair for years to come. All I thought of when I saw it, is that beautiful girl and that beautiful hair and now she looks terrible with the dark eyebrows and bleached out hair.

We have many stories that friends have told us that go beyond what SIL told DH from SD15, so that was just the tipping point for DH.
Just an example of one that we haven’t told the attorneys, recently SD15 was on the golf cart and was driving so erratically she almost hit a Scoutmaster and his wife along with 8 scouts. Because the scouts recognized her, they contacted me and asked me to let the mother know rather than call the police. She may remember it since the Scoutmaster yelled at her and the mother did a few minutes later when she almost hit the 2nd group of scouts. I called the police and discussed it with them. I decided to let it go, since it would be a citation that you would receive rather than SD15 as the golf cart owner. So no lesson would be learned anyway. I didn’t know any of the other incidents on the golf cart at the time and if I could go back I would reverse that decision. You may not realize that she is not allowed to have more than one teenager on the cart at a time until she gets her license. That is another situation that a parent called to tell us about. She had 6 kids on the cart at TCBY. This keeps happening. The sad thing is that I think it will take a horrific accident or the police at your door to wake up and realize that she needs some discipline. These are all small things that may not seem like much individually but together to a Judge will seem like a child that needs a change of venue.

I would hate to be you if something drastic does happen to her, because I guarantee, DH will not allow you to have any contact at all with SS13. His fear of you jeopardizing his future is so strong.

As for the visitation with SS13, please know that we will only encourage him to see you to the extent that you have encouraged SD15 to see her Dad. We won’t buy him a massage so he won’t see you as you did, but we won’t plead your case either.

My recommendation is that you settle this immediately so it goes no further, because if it does and we go to court, it is going to be really ugly and DH will probably get both kids in the end. You will have spent thousands on Lawyers and will end up with basic visitation of your children. Since they are over 14, it will be up to them if they want to see you. With HS and friends and activities, that is not going to leave a lot of time for you to spend with them. Is that what you want? I don’t even want it for you after everything you have put me through.

JSMOM

When you edit out the names it reads kind of wierd, but you get the idea. My debate now is to let DH read it first. He will talk me out of sending it, but honestly I don't care. The malicious comments that keep coming are hard to just listen to and not pipe up that they are not true. I haven't decided what to do, but would like your opinions on the text of the letter. Legally right now we are waiting on our lawyer to reply to her lawyer about the recent alleghations about SD15 and the drinking and vandalism.

Comments

lmac's picture

JSmom, I'd leave it alone, and not send that at all.

What do you expect to get out of it? Do you really think she'll change, or is it just likely to spawn more hatred out of her idiot mouth?

I know it would feel good to get it all out to her, but I really don't think this will make you feel good in the end at all. In fact, I believe sending this will only cause you more stress.

Plus, if she lets SD15 read it, then SD15 can clearly see for herself that that you don't think very highly of it.

IMHO, go ahead and let BM spew her hatred against you with absolutely no facts, and one day, the truth will come out and hopefully SD will realize who truly cared about her all along.

Jsmom's picture

Actually in this case it was my responsibility. I was the Committee Chair to the Troop that she almost hit. Usually an incident is reported to me and I discuss with council how to handle it. So it was to my discretion.

Jsmom's picture

I have no problem taking out the part about her DH. But, honestly she may not even know about that email.

stepmom2fk's picture

I agree with Imac plus threats normally back fire. It will be a back and forth game for her and she is going to feed off it with the SD. Giving no attention to it works so much better.
What does DH think you should do?

SteppingUp's picture

I'm a little bit torn on this but I totally understand your need to communicate this way to BM. I think it's good that you reached out to us first and will show it to DH before sending it. None of us want you to go down a road that makes you look bad or could turn against you....so please don't take my comments too harshly. I agree with the others, that you should tone down a little on the threats of going to court and winning, and also about comparing your chidren to hers and her DH's. I get what you're saying, but it will just fuel the fire and honestly, I know some REALLY GOOD kids that come from crappy parents and some REALLY BAD kids that come from good parents....so I'm not sure it's worth putting your own children under the microscope here, no matter how good they are.

I really like all of your points in the beginning paragraphs about how things could have been different and the reasons why you never reached out to her before. I truly think you could almost keep this letter to those points, depending on what you want out of this message.

I agree with the others on the point that you should only send this letter with some sort of outcome in mind. Decide what the exact purpose of this letter is...is it just to let her know that you know about all the bad things she tells people about you? What good will that do? It won't stop her and in my experience, it gives these people a little bit of self-worth knowing that they "got" to you...and she'll go on telling her buddies how pathetic your attempt to defend yourself was, or something like that. My other question here is, WHY IS YOUR SIL LISTENING TO HER OR GIVING HER ANY TIME OF DAY?

Is this letter to reach out and try to help cultivate a relationship with sD15 and your DH? If so...make it MUCH MORE about that, and what you will do, what your DH will do, how you can work together to get to that point....rather than trashing SD15 and BM's parenting (or lack thereof) role.

Hope that helps, from an outsider perspective.

Jsmom's picture

Thankfully SIL woke up finally about all of this and hasn't responded to her diatribe. But, that is a too little too late for any future relationship that I will ever have with her.

No the letter serves no other purpose that finally getting to say some of these things to her.

I removed the part about her DH. But, I will leave the part about his parenting versus mine. I am so tired of her proclaiming that SD is doing well. She has grades all over the place and is now considered quite the slut in our town. She bad mouthed my son when the bus incident happened and I never said a word. I am tired of letting this woman walk all over me. I ran into her and her DH last night at the HS. They are just laughing away. I am so tired of it all.

I will think about what you all are saying. But, I still really think how long do we continue to let these BM talk about us this way?

lmac's picture

For me, someone who has no job, someone who still lives with their mum at 34, someone who has the IQ of a turnip, someone who lost a tooth doing meth to try and be skinnier that I am, can say bad things to/about me all she wants. Her opinion doesn't matter jack to me or any other respectable person. She's an idiot, and my SIL is also an idiot for being BFFs with her. Neither of them get a minute of my thoughts as long as my skids are ok. And one day, if they stay with her, then they won't be ok, and I'll have to accept that as well. Because even if I told her she was an idiot, it wouldn't change a thing.

I'd rather be the bigger person; take all of her nutty rantings with a grain of salt, and laugh about her later with my husband. Who is MY husband. I already won, IMO. Don't really care what a sore loser has to say about it.

Jsmom's picture

Okay - I have decided not to send it....Thanks for the help and guidance. One of these days when SS turns 18 I am going off on her. I did tell DH, that if she continued to slam me with lies to anyone or in another email, I was contacting my lawyer to get a feel for my rights. He was not happy, but I think he understood. The only problem with venting to him, is he will stop showing me this stuff from her. I am not sure if that is good or bad.

My reputation is important to me because of my volunteer work with kids and her saying things like this is just wrong...I just keep wondering at what point I get pushed enough to do anything. At least writing the letter made me feel like somebody heard me. Just not the right person.

lmac's picture

Hell yeah dude! That I can get behind!!

BM has already been told that if she threatens me again or says anything untrue about me again, then I will see her ass in court for harassment, and slander, and maybe sue her for pain and suffering as well.

lmac's picture

I didn't tell her that. She got a cease and "shut the fuck up" letter (as I like to call it) from my lawyer.

SteppingUp's picture

Prove by your actions to everyone else that you are a better person. Most people-- especially those that matter -- recognize a skink when they see one. I try very hard to live my life by this idea. One person like her saying crap about you should be 1 million times outweighed by your own actions and good deeds. Anyone with half a brain will know she is an insecure, spiteful, and jealous person and take it all with a grain of salt. Focus on that.

doll faced sm's picture

I'm glad you decided not to send. Some of the statements made you sound petty and borderline psycho (even though I know what you meant and totally understand where you were coming from). Most importantly, though, never tip your hand! Giving away your legal strategy is bad. Let her dumba$$ DH bring his parenting cert to court . . . THEN point out the only way he'd have it is b/c of involvement w/ DFACS. Don't give them the heads up first, then they have time to work out a new strategy.