You are here

Is it time to be completely done with SD's?

Mostthanklessjobever's picture

Ive been with my husband for 18 years now, married for 15.  I have 2 SD's, ages 22 and 25.  I heavily particated in their lives growing up and honestly put as much time or more in raising them than my DH and their selfish BM.  Things over the last 5 or so years have became strained between myself and SD's.  Typical Skid issues, and to think I thought it would get easier once they became adults, HA!  I've never been one to speak my mind to them or my DH about my feelings, the disrespect, etc.  My DH now knows how I feel but anytime I bring the situation up he gets defensive, there's never any resolution.  Yes, I know I have a DH problem!  He is the main problem, he's never had my back, he's never protected me from their crap behavior and I've had to learn to protect myself and disengage.  

I only see these two SD's now at Christmas, my DH's birthday and Father's Day.  My DH has been a very emottionally detached father to them and I spent their childhoods encouraging him to have a deeper relationship with them.  I've now stepped away from any of that.  Since they have both grown and moved out he rarely sees them even though they live minutes away.  I disengaged years ago and they are both adults now and whatever relationship the 3 of them choose to have is between them, I do not want to be involved.    

My DH and I have not children together. I have a bio daughter that is 29 and bio son 26.  Both of my SD's have always seemed to have a problem with my BD.  My BD has always treated them kindly, even when they are rude and blow her off.  However my SD's love my son.  All 4 of our children grew up together and in the same house so my SD's are not strangers to my BD and vice versa.

In April my BD and her husband had their first baby, a girl.  Of course neither SD's acknowledged her birth. My DH hounded my OSD25 (only because he talks to her the most) to go and see the baby.  So finally after 6 months she went to see her.  My BD said it was a decent visit but it turned into more of a vent session for OSD25 about the lack of relationship her and my DH have.  YSD22 has yet to see our granddaughter and she is now 9 months.

So come Christmas, both SD's came to our house to collect their Christmas money.  YSD22 comes in and doesn't even acknowledge me, would not look at me or speak, this has been how it's been now for a while.  I try and talk to her and she blows me off.  At Christmas when she did this, I just ignored her, what's the point.  She then proceeds to talk around me to her sister, OSD25 asking her if she's talked to my bio son and what he's been up to.  As if I'm not sitting there and as if he's not my son she's talking about!  At that point I should have spoken up but I didn't.  My DH sits there oblivious to her shananigans or chooses to ignore them.  Neither SD asked about our granddaughter which both my DH and I found odd, and the other thing we found odd was there was a calendar on our kitchen table that my BD gave my DH for Christmas with all of our granddaugthers pictures in it and neither SD said a word.  Had that calendar been pictures of our dogs or anything else, they would have picked it up and thumbed through it.  Finally YSD22 swings her head around and says to me "so is Morgan having another kid anytime soon"?  Her question was filled with so much ugliness I could have slapped her.  I just answered that she wasn't anytime soon.  

I think I'm honestly done done with both of them.  It's always bothered me how they've treated my BD but I've let it go, not even to mention their behavior towards me.  But I think how they are obvious in their contempt toward my granddaughter who is only a baby, I think that's been the straw that's broke the camel's back for me.  Neither of them have children, so it's not a competition.  They are both grown adults but honestly I think they see my granddaughter as a competition with their Dad.  They do not want him to love her, they do not want him to love my BD.  I'm just over it all.

Aniki-Moderator's picture

IMO... YES, it is definitely time to be done with the SDs. All of your kids are adults. If your bios choose to try and maintain a relationship with the SDs, they're old enough to handle it.

Your DH needs to stop "hounding" his daughters to see your bios and grandbabies. No point in trying to force a relationship between adults. They're capable of reaching out all by themselves - they simply don't want to do so.

And with the SDs being adults, there is zero excuse for them coming into YOUR home and acting like you don't exist. What rude horsepuckey!

Let your DH buy gifts for his rude daughters and plan to see them outside of your home next Christmas. They can go out for a Christmas breakfast, lunch, or dinner. 

And please do not give him any reminders about their birthdays or any anniversaries or any upcoming holidays. Let it be up to him to maintain those relationships or fail due to apathy.

JRI's picture

Anki said it all.

2Tired4Drama's picture

Disengage completely, and feel no guilt.  

The one thing I would be concerned about is you said, "my SD's love my son."  I find this worrying. They are obviously jealous of your BD but "love" your son.  I'd be afraid they will try and create a wedge between your two bio kids. 

They are all adults and are responsible for their own choices but if I were your son I'd be VERY clear that my mother and sister should be treated with respect and cordiality.  If the SD's can't do that, and just show their asses, then if I were your son I'd be cutting them off. 

SeeYouNever's picture

Your SDs are threatened by your daughter because she's older and more accomplished. It's sort of like when a woman goes after an unavailable man. They vilify somebody who significantly older than them because they are always going to come out less than and then can play the victim. I'm sure they threw similar fits when she graduated high school or college or got married or whatever other big events took the spotlight they wanted so bad. Your son didn't make them jealous because that's all a lot of girls are.

My SD is 15 and I gave up a few years ago trying to encourage her and DHs relationship or have a relationship with her myself. I just don't care anymore and I don't care to put work into something that I know is not going to have any favorable result. My DH has pretty much written her off because she won't communicate with him though I know he's still hurt about it.

If there are any stepmoms here that have not fully disengaged and are in a similar position my best advice is to disengage now. The relationship between the step kids and their bio-parent is not your responsibility or your problem. The more you get yourself into the middle of it the more you were going to be blamed when it goes sour.

My SD 15 acts like I don't exist and ignores me pretty completely just like yours do. BM also pretends I don't exist so I can only imagine that my name is taboo in that household. Don't waste your time trying to gain the favor of somebody who ignores you. If you ignore them back they are going to play the victim but they're going to play the victim about something anyway so it might as well be something minor like ignoring them rather than meddling in their relationship with their parent.

 

CLove's picture

Read your past blogs. 

So much going on there - but I did not see many responses from you - so I dont know if you come back and read our comments.

Yes, disenage. Did you get all your wills and POA and all that inheritance stuff cleared up?

As your DH to please let the adult kids be responsible for their own relationships. The skids do not need to create relationships with your bios if thats not something they in fact want. It turned into a venting session, so it kind of backfired on him and you.

You definitely should have called out that ch!t behavior. Shunning is what she did, and shunning is considered abusive behavior.

Call it out. Or better, dont ask them to come visit in your home and mention that this shunning behavior is not to be allowed in your sanctuary ever again. He can go with his spoiled spawns somewhere else, in the car he co-signed the loan for.

He gets defenisive so obviously he doesnt need to inform you of anything and if he needs sympathy, well forget that too!

Just make certain the wills, insurance policies and POA and financials are taken care of. To start your new year off right ways.