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Stepkids care

Mel1133's picture

Hello, 

Ok so let me get started with a lil background .  My husband has 2 kids from a previous relationship. I still don't have any children with him. During the pandemic i lost my job but I am also a college student so that keeps me busy busy. My husband is a truck driver and he is off the house for two weeks or a week depending on the job he has. The childrens mom works So, I agree to babysit for her those days because I was at home and I wanted to keep the children safe as well.  
 

In the last month my health took a toll and I started to feel very tired, fatigue and in pain all over my body. After a couple of analysis DR says I had anemia and vitamins deficiency.   I started taken meds which still make me feel the same and sometimes worse.
 

i told my husband that because I am also a student and I do not have the same strength I was going to take a step back from babysitting the kids to use the lil energy I have for my self and my school work. 
 

aparently neither the kids mom or husband were happy with this. Kids mom says he is supposed to help her with the care of the children and my husband says I am his help and not knowing were his kids are is stressful for him. 
 

what am I supposed to do here. 
 

i want to help them but I can't take care of my own somedays. 

Comments

LivMommy's picture

If your husband doesn't think your health is more important than free childcare, that's disappointing. I think even if these were your kids it wouldn't be unreasonable to find help. You are not their babysitter. You are a stepmom and anything you do extra is a favor. Not an expectation 

hereiam's picture

I was going to take a step back from babysitting the kids to use the lil energy I have for my self and my school work. 
aparently neither the kids mom or husband were happy with this.

Well, isn't that just too bad. Those kids are not your responsibility, even if your health was great.

Shame your selfish husband for not caring about your health.

ldvilen's picture

Tell them to F- off and take care of their own children.   May shound harsh, but there is just too much of this--a divorced man and his ex- expecting other people, in particular dad's new wife or SO, to take care of their children.  And then when the new wife or SO says something like, "I can't handle this," they are made out to the meanie Evil uncaring SM.  Mom and dad will have to do what EVERY OTHER mom and dad has to do for THEIR children--figure it out vs. trying to bully and badger SM into doing it.  And even if SM does do it. . .  years down the road all she'll have is SKs who resent her for being there when their mom or dad should have been, a BM who will be resent her for being there period, and a DH who will resent her for not loving his kids more, as in 'putting up with their shiatsu the same way he does.'

Merry's picture

Your husband told you you were his help? That's so wrong. Ok, sure, partners help each other out. But now he EXPECTS you to continue to do something based on a generous offer, even though circumstances have changed. That is selfish and rude, and I would not hesitate to call him out on it.

It sounds like you can't even properly care for these children based on the symptoms you described. And yet the parents are ok with this. And your DH isn't exactly supporting your recovery. Where is YOUR help? They both sound like craptastic parents.

And yet again, no good deed goes unpunished here in Stepville.

Harry's picture

These kids have one BM and one BF.  It's up to them, who made the choice to have children.  To take care of those children.  Not you.  You do not become the babysitter because Bf and BM can't figure it out.  No reason to be mad at you. 
 

Time to disengage from all of this,  let them work it out. Hire a babysitter for the kids.  If DH is not home to take care of his kids. Those kids are at BM 

ndc's picture

Perhaps your husband should consider a more local job if he can't handle the stress of not knowing where his kids are.

What is their custody arrangement?

In any event, it's not your job to watch their kids if you don't want to.  Since you had previously agreed to this arrangement, I think it's fair to give them some notice so they can make other arrangements, but agreeing once doesn't mean you've agreed to watch his kids for all eternity.  I think your husband is paying too much attention to his own convenience and not enough to your health.

Mel1133's picture

Their custody arrangement is every other weekend he has them. Mom is the main guardian. 
 

thank you for your comment
 

 

hereiam's picture

If he is not available every other weekend to take care of them, he doesn't take them, period.

Winterglow's picture

In that case, it's up to her to find a child minder during her time. she ought to be grateful to you for being her unpaid babysitter for so long. 

Bottom line: Your health comes first.

still learning's picture

Kids mom says he is supposed to help her with the care of the children and my husband says I am his help

First of all Dad isn't helping/parenting at all since he is a truck driver, you literally are "The Help." If dad isn't there you to do his job it should not fall on you.  He and BM made the kids so it's their job to find them care.  Wasn't there a recent discussion on ST about a "bang nanny?"  Sounds like this is the role you've landed OP.  

what am I supposed to do here. 

You have to prioritze yourself, obviously none of them care enough to help take care of you or even show concern for your well-being.  Like you I used to be a people pleaser to my own detriment. I would run myself into the ground to make others happy. I fave finally learned to take on what I can handle and say NO, I can't, I'm busy, Not available...etc to requests that I can't or don't want to do. In your case you have real health issues.  You can always make your doctor the "bad guy" here and say, "My doctor says I need to focus on my health right now and that requires rest, vitamins, a reduced workload and less stress."  Do whatever you need to to recover. Yes they're all going to be fussy because their expectations of you aren't being met but they will get over it.  It's unreasonable to expect you to fill in for dad for weeks at a time.  Youh health and well-being are important too!  

Mel1133's picture

I think that's my biggest problem I am a people pleaser and put everyone else before me. Now that my health has gone worse I have notice that I need to think more about me because at the end of the day no one will. 

Exjuliemccoy's picture

CURRENTLY you are a people pleaser, but that is a set of behaviors that can be changed. In steplife, you have to be able to firmly stand up for yourself and know that you can't rely on anyone else (including your partner) to put your best interests first. Otherwise you'll get used up. Nice guys finish last in steplife and nobody notices a martyr until they die.

I was a doormat for the first eighteen years of my marriage, and am proof you can change. I recommend getting the books Boundaries by Cloud and Townsend and Stepmonster by Wednesday Martin, and doing some self reflection to figure out WHY you are such a people pleaser. It sounds like a rather benign, even positive character trait, but it's often rooted in childhood dysfunction/emotional neglect. Not every people pleaser is co dependent, but they do have things in common. Also, keep reading on StepTalk to learn more about what your role is and IS NOT.

Mel1133's picture

Thank you all for each one of your advices. I talk to DH and told him that I will not be taken care of the kids because I am focusing on my health and college. I notice he was mad and I was starting to felt compelled to tell him I would do it, but I remeber the beautiful and couraging things you all said and was firm on my decision.  
 

plus I also thought how I want to be a mom in the future and I need to be in good health to care one day for my own. 

StepUltimate's picture

Proud of you for clearly and honestly saying what you meant... and NOT giving in to the people-pleasing / peacemaker impulse. 

You got this. Glad you found StepTalk, and that you took the good council from the super-understanding & experienced step-parents in this online community. You don't have to go through this alone. 

You're gonna be an awesome mom!  Biggrin

shamds's picture

No..... you are his equity life partner!! Not a maid but a partner!!

you finishing your studies benefits you both as a couple, you being a free babysitter does not contribute to your quality of life

selfish bio mum is an ahole too!! If she wants her husband to help out with the kids, well he is!! Its caled child support and he needs to work to provide for it!!! 

Not only is bio mum selfish for wanting cs, she also wants free babysitting so she isn’t out of pocket during her time

also i have always had anaemia and going on iron pills doesn’t work right away. Even with an iron rich diet, it can take several months. Your husband obviously doesn’t care about you as a partner

Mel1133's picture

I posted this on Aug 3, a week after that my husband told his BM that i would no longer take care of the kids.  When she had them for her to find care the days he had them he will find care and he would try to work as much as possible with her. 
 

fast foward to Aug 27, my sister in law had a birthday get together but it was just her siblings and kids.  We ask mom and she was okay with them going  there.. 30 minute before we had to drop my stepson off mom comes and asks my husband if they can talk.  They step aside and about 15 minutes later they are both yelling at each other ahe yelling about him being a bad dad, and child support and his yelling about her not letting him spend more time with the kids.  When I seen that I went over and tried to get him away because he was really mad and in her face.  She kept talking so I told her to leave that it was not okay for them to yelled infront of their kids and that what was going on, she walked of and said there is nothing ever going on. 
 

fast foward to today he has not seen his kids.  She block both of us, and when he reaches out to them they told him that they don't wish you talk to him no more and that they don't care for him.  Mom says I am to blame for all of this and I just really don't get it.  
 

i love my husband but i feel like I can go on I want him to see his kids.  And is stressful to have this weird relationship.