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Did anyone see the Dr. Phil show yesterday about ex'wives and step parents

violetforest's picture

I missed it, Only got to see a small clip online. Was not impressed. I am hoping to be able to view the full program online if I can find it. I came into the picture when the youngest of my two ss's was in preschool and the oldest was in oldest was in 3rd. The oldest and I hit it off right away, the youngest it took a few months, he only spent time with his parents, grandmother and a very few teen baby sitters prior to the BM walking out on the family when it was discovered for the 3rd time that she was having another affair.

My friend who later turned into my boyfriend = and now husband took care of his two young boys on his own. BM had very little to do with the boys and he had primary placement. Coming into the picture with 4 children of my own having primary placement with limited contact with the biof and restricted visits in my case, I did everything. Attended all the games, made the vday cards, attended the music programs etc. The BM in my case never even purchased store vday card to send home with the boys after visits so that we could send them to school, she never showed up at school programs or took the boys for their school checkup's etc.

Why would I not take on the role to provide for the boys in this way. If the BM in our case would have even reached out to her children in this way that would have been wonderful! I used to contact her when the boys were younger about school pictures, sending mother's day cards to her along with a gift, sending emails to see if she wanted copies of her oldest son's homecoming and prom pictures but never getting a response. I have stopped making these attempts after she began to claim that I was calling and leaving messages were I was swearing at her, calling names and such. Cant risk getting accused of untrue things anymore. Would like things to be better but as the BM showed yesterday, She really does not want things to get better. She is too tied up in her misery. Very sad.

Comments

stepmom2one's picture

I didn't see it. Glad I didn't.

IMO, when there is no mother figure around it is fine, and kind of forced upon SMs to take over that role.

I personally don't take that role with SD11 since she has a active mother (we have just EOW). Even on the wknds she is with us I treat her like I do any other child that comes over...I don't "mother" her at all.
I just don't think it is my place.

I think of myself as SDs fathers wife...not really a SM.

herewegoagain's picture

I think of myself as sd's father's wife too...never smom...

And as far as Dr. Phil??? The day he walks in our shoes or those of a divorced dad is the day I will listen to him on this topic...he's another idiot who expects the people who didn't break up the marriage to bend over backwards for the skids...maybe he needs to tell these bio-parents to stay together for the kids instead of making sparents responsible for the bio-parents screw-ups!

stepmom2one's picture

Exactly. Once he gets to know what it feels like to be told you can't tuck your kids into bed every night or even see them more than 4 nights a month just becuz you are a male instead of a female he may have a leg to stand on.

Or have 1/2 to 3/4 of his paycheck taken to "support" the child when really it is enough money to pay ALL of the mothers expenses. Lets see what he has to say after he lives in a studio apt, has his kids taken away and is told what to do DAILY by his ex.

violetforest's picture

Thats my point. When you are living with the children the majority of the time expecially when a parent has made the choice to leave the children, have affairs and move away over 1 1/2 hours from the kids. What else am I to do - let the kids go without. I have 4 kids of my own calling me mom, the boys are little and they began to call me mom also after we got married on their own. We did not ask them to it just happened. Do you know how bad the sson's would feel if I did not treat them as if they were my own? I ran my own day care for 10 years and none of those kids began to call me mom - Funny how that is Huh:???

I am confused's picture

Anybody who puts any stock into what Dr. Phil says needs to have their head examined by someone not named Dr. Phil...

violetforest's picture

ya, I keep thinking that someday my husband's ex will go back to being "normal" as there was a period of time that we were friends. I was way to wishful when H and I began to date thinking that she of all people would know that I love the boys and that I would always try to do right by them. Now I just think that will be when hell freezes over.