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VENT! Never get a day to be a couple

TNparamedic's picture

So background: married 6 years now. She came with SD (13 now) from previous abusive relationship. After court/CPS drama, wife now has 100% custody but wife allows bio dad visits with basically two rules. One, has to be a weekend she is off work so she can come rescue SD if needed and 2 no more than one night at a time. 

I work 50+ hours a week as a 911 paramedic,  she works a nurses 2/3 schedule at a hospital out of my district. We see each other before bed every day, but she is a narcoleptic and sincerely is asleep by 930pm. SD get her attention until 9pm. Because of her rotating schedule, we get every other weekend off together. SD is 13 so she usually is having sleep overs and you would think that means wife and I get time. 

But

Im so upset right now. We never get a date night. I just now found out wife plans on driving SD 96 miles one way to bio dads new living  arrangement so SD can spend the night. She says its to check the place out but legit - what would she do if it is horrible? Turn around and bring SD back?! Nope. Bc she doesn't like to make waves... and frankly I think she is scared of him still. 

So with other responsibilities that come with this weekend (chores, errands, ect) Its another lost weekend. I can't believe it is so hard to get a f*@$ing date with someone you live with. Geesus this step parent stuff is overrated.  Aaaggggghhhhhhhh

nappisan's picture

Im sorry your going through this , and yes being a step parent is super painful most of the time.  Unfortunately like most of us on here ,, this is your life and the way it will continue ,, you need to sit down with your wife and put everything out on the table and be honest with her , have you tried this ?

Kerrywho's picture

I truly empathize with your predicament 

 

Both my ex and I are nurses and he has his son on all our days off. With our line of work, we need our unwinding, destressing time. And guess what? We don't get it. To me, even now that I'm about to move out...it really is a prison like arrangment. There is no time to maintain the relationship, no special moments, no nights out, no having the house all to ourselves. Just making every sacrafice known to man for a kid who isn't mine. 

 

I ended up realizing I didn't want to live my life that way. But I didn't even like the SS 5, so it was no brainer for me to leave. 

 

Step parenting it a bunch of cr*p, honestly. No reward but all the work. Hell. On. Earth. 

 

It won't get easier until SD turns 18, and even then you might have her in your home for a time after that. You have to decide if this arrangment has enough pros to outweigh the cons. I once heard what makes a relationship work is having more good moments than bad. Can you say that about your relationship? Can you make it 7 more years of this? Because it's not going to change even though I know you want it to.... that's a long time. 

tog redux's picture

Oh boy. Well considering what she's doing to SD's father, be sure to never get her pregnant.  And read a few stories from SMs who are the receiving end of this kind of treatment from the high conflict bio mother of their stepkids. You do realize she'd rather spend her weekends interfering in her ex's life than being with you, right?

shamds's picture

Like the crazy exwives who meddle in new relationships and try to dictate the show. It isn't healthy for her to have this much power and dictate when the dad and under what conditions the sd gets to stay with dad

its not healthy for your wife to be this level of controlling. 
 

if the courts haven't stipulated your wife needs to agree on the conditions sd can go be with her dad, and frankly a court giving exwife approval to inspect her exhusbands home is laughable, she shouldn't be involving too much. She has confused concern with overstepping her and others rights and boundaries 

as a couple, you matter too and her placing you as not a priority makes you upset. You can't neglect uour spouse indefinitely till kids are older and expect they'll be waiting happily. We also do not allow skid sleepovers.

my husband is a senior banker and so hometime is our private time and we both don't want stangers staying over

tog redux's picture

I agree. This has High Conflict written all over it. She's obsessed with controlling the father's time and "rescuing" SD if she needs it. BM here flew over to "rescue" SS once after DH you know, parented him, and SS didn't like it.

I hope OP doesn't have kids with her.