You are here

Confused

Mrsme's picture

Hi, I'm only new to here but I am needing some help and didn't know where else to go. 

 

My husband and I have been together 12 years married and have 3 children together, he has a teenage daughter who i have not seen since she was 10 months old and from what I am aware he hasn't seen her since she was 3, because her mother made it very difficult for him and made it like she didn't want him in her life. He has spoke to her and tried to make the effort over the phone with her numerous times to be pretty much shut down after a few calls.

 

Each time his ex reached out to him and made it like she wanted their daughter and him to have a relationship together was when (and im not sure if it is coincidence or not) things were going great for us like we got married or were having our babies etc etc. Then once all the excitement and that eased down from our major events she pretty much become mean ex and ended the communication between him and his daughter. 

 

Things have been going great for us recently and all of a sudden after a few years of (me) not hearing anything about her, hubby and his daughter have suddenly talked out the reasons behind him being MIA and wanting to have a go at a relationship now.  Last i heard about her was 4 years ago, and he just recently told his daughter that the reason he was MIA was because of miscommunication with her mum and thought she didnt want him to know their daughter

 

I am so angry at the fact she has returned again and I know this time seems she is a teen it will all be my fault when I have never once stopped him from pursuing a relationship with her, in actual fact if we could of involved her in our lives more, maybe I would be more comfortable about her being in our lives. My husband doesnt like to talk to me about her cause he knows it upsets me but I feel like he has me and our kids as a family then he has our kids his daughter and ex as another family. Our kids have never met her, but i have told them they have a sister.

 

Im so confused with my feeling right now, I feel selfish, i  feel scared that she is going to cause havoc and hurt my kids and me mentally, I feel scared that my husband won't be able to see it if it does happen because he has longed for a relationshup with her and I am angry about her all of a sudden reappearance , I hate his daughter but feel bad for hating her and I hate his ex who he claims to never of been in a relationship with "was  only for fun" for taking our first together away from us like us becoming parents together even though i know i shouldn't be like that seems i knew he had a child before hand, if only I knew I would feel like this now.  Am I a bad person for feeling so confused or is it normal to be feeling all these feelings because she has never been a constant figure in our lives. I feel like i wouldnt be like this if I had the chance to be a stepmum not just have a step daughter somewhere.  

tog redux's picture

I think it's perfectly understandable that you would be nervous, given that his daughter has clearly been alienated by a toxic BM, and her few appearances in your life have been accompanied by stress and drama.  I think it's important to have an open talk with your DH about the situation and your concerns and expectations.

I have to ask - how did BM know about all these important events in your lives if SD wasn't ever having contact with your husband?

Mrsme's picture

I am not entirely sure, there is a few ways it could of been fed back to her one being family members who are friends with her. I have told him how it makes me feel as well which is why he has told me thats why he doesn't like to talk to me about it.

 

Our children are only young but near the age to understand a little bit too and i worry that this reappearance is going to be like the others and short lived and tear a part of them away when her presence is no longer or will it be toxic for them and cause heart ache. 

hereiam's picture

Your anxiety over this situation is completely normal and your feelings about her, understandable.

I agree that you need to have a discussion with your husband about boundaries and what ifs.

I have experienced this in the past with my DH's oldest (estranged) daughter, and anytime she wanted to be a part of his life (when she wanted something), it turned out to be very short lived. My DH, himself, put an end to the charade several years ago (she's now 32) when she cussed him out and tried to put a guilt trip on him. Haven't heard from her since.

Each time contact was made, I got anxious, but I let him know what I would and would not tolerate and for the most part, he agreed with me. His daughter, along with her mother and her mother's family, are all very toxic and manipulating, and he knows that.

Like you, I didn't want to be blamed for the relationship not working out, so, I just sat back and let it self destruct on it's own, as I knew it would.

My DH loved her (still does) and always wanted to be a part of her life and he has been deeply hurt by her over the years. But, she had been brainwashed her entire life by BM's family, to the point that she does not even believe that DH is her dad.

He has finally accepted that it just wasn't meant to be.

JoyW40's picture

I have been lurking on here for a couple of years now, but your post is similar to my situation and so here's my first post.  My husband and I have been together just over 20 years, and I knew about his daughter since day one. She hadn't been in his life since she was 18 months old because of his ex gf.   When they broke up she got a restraining order against him saying he was abusive and moved across the country.  My husband at the time was young and didn't have the money to fight it.  The BM kept his daughter in the dark and wouldn't tell her anything about him.  It wasn't until she was 13 and came across her birth certificate that she had a name.  She asked her aunt (BM's sister) to contact my husband and see if she could have contact with him. He was overjoyed and said yes please give her my details.  Instead she went back to her and said he wanted nothing to do with her.  My husband waited 5 years to hear from her. When she was 18 and a young mother herself she contacted him.  She was no longer in contact with her mother or the rest of her family.  They talked a lot on Facebook and the phone but she always kept him at a distance.  So I didn't feel very threatened.  It took them a few years to finally meet in person, he drove to Wales for a long weekend to meet with her.  I stayed home (my choice) I knew she'd feel awkward enough meeting him.   The first meeting went well, and we arranged for another longer visit when I would go too.  I am not going to lie, it was hard at first.  I felt left out, he was spending a lot of time talking to her both on facebook and face time and I started worrying about how it was going to change our family dynamics.  We don't have kids together and it's always just been the two of us.  Then there was this virtual stranger who was taking up all my husband's time. So I was jealous, worried, angry a whole gambet of emotions. 

I had a long chat with DH about how I felt and my concerns and fortunately, he listened and he included me in everything. Made it clear we were a package deal.  Fast forward a few years and she and I are very close. She calls me mum. She said I've treated her more as a mum than her own. Her two boys call me nana and they've never met the BM.  It all took time, it wasn't easy going by any stretch of the imagination. But we some how made it through and things are good. I know all situations are different but I do understand how you are feeling at the moment and it's all completely natural.  I would say the most important thing is to talk to your husband as tog redux suggested.  

Mrsme's picture

You are an inspiration!!! Thank you for sharing your story, it gives me a tiny bit of hope that this will eventually fall into place and all will work out happily ever after for all parties. Thank you again. 

Seriously7's picture

You are not a bad person at all. I had no idea I would have so many painful, confusing emotions before getting seriously involved with a man with a child. I had never in my life thought of myself as a bad person. I've always tried my hardest to do what I thought was right and live by a moral standard. All of that blew up after becoming a stepmother. I felt bad, evil, unworthy, bitter, hateful, and like a horrible person. Who would not want anything to do with a stepchild? Who would be angry at the person they love for having a child? I've had so many painful emotions the last several years all because the man I love has a child with another woman. I've just recently began believing I am not a horrible person, I deserve to be a mother (to my own children) just as much as anyone else. I deserve to have a family with my husband just as much as anyone else. Knowing my husband has a child he loves with another woman while struggling to have my/our own child has literally been the hardest thing in my life. So, you are not a bad person. You are a normal person going through an ongoing and incredibly difficult situation. 

Mrsme's picture

Thanks you its definitely not a easy situation. I'm glad to know that what I am feeling is not at all nasty or self centred, and that other people are in fact feeling the same way. Thank you for sharing and i wish you the best of luck in your situation.