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Help I don’t like my stepchild

Frazzledstepparent's picture

I don’t like my 8yo step daughter. She is very manipulative with her father, her grandmother and tries to manipulate me but I don’t out up with her crap. She’s an only child. I have 2 of my own kids from a previous relationship. She constantly lies to try to prevent herself fro getting in trouble. She’s hit pushed and bit  my youngest child on several occasions. I’m sorry if I go all over but I am getting so frustrated and  resentful. I met her when she was 3 and she had behavioral  issues then. Her mother is an abusive drug addict who is been in and out of jail. She was allowed to have some partial custody beginning in 2016 until July of this year when she Got arrested again. In her house there are no rules. My step daughter can do whatever she wants to, eat whatever she wants and go to bed whenever she wants. My step daughter is extremely disrespectful to both her father myself her grandmother and my kids. She’s constantly trying to get my kids in trouble when she’s the one who starts everything. For example she’ll  going to my child’s room and bother him and then come out and tattle when he tells her to get out of his room. She talks like a whiny baby all the time and orders her father around. She tries to make him get her dressed and feed her. She is constantly trying to monopolize his free time and always whines for her dad to buy her toys in every store we go in. She is manipulative just like her mother. She doesn’t follow direction very well and is very argumentative when we try to get her to do things. She’ll waste time. She was also born addicted to drugs so I think she has some behavioral issues bc of it which her dad refuses to acknowledge. We fight co Stanton over her behavior. It’s tearing us apart. I turn into a different person when she comes home. I am so stressed and anxious when she is around. I avoid talking to her if I can and don’t twally give her eye contact bc when I try to engage her she turns into a nasty little b. 

I feel like a horrible person bc I feel this way about a child but she is not normal. I love my husband but I don’t know how much longer I can stand this. 

What can I do to try and overcome my feelings of resentment towards her? 

Stunned Step of 3's picture

First I'd like to tell you that from what I feel in my own life and what I am reading on this site, you are completely normal feeling the way you do. That said, SD is a little girl. Think back to when you were that age and how you operated and interacted. I feel sorry for these confused, troubled kids. I have a similar situation only with three step kids and I can tell you that until you set your own boundaries about what you will and won't tolerate with everyone in the house; meaning with your DH and your kids, they will walk all over you. It's a risk but your SD may respect you for it, hell I bet she will appreciate it. 

ESMOD's picture

Your SD doesn't sound all that abnormal for a kid who has been given zero boundaries.  You have a problem with your spouse.  It is imperative that he be stepping up and parenting his child.. I'm hoping that he at least has full custody given his EX wife's issue with drugs.  It is also borderline abusive of him to not have her checked out for any issues... with her beginning... she obviously has been dealt a crappy card.

As to your situation... if your DH won't deal with her.. and you can't or won't... then you can disengage.. and do what is needed to keep your kids safe.  If you can't do that in the home.. you may need to live separately from your DH or split completely.

Harry's picture

Mother. But your DH is the problem. Not putting his foot down and teaching this child how to behave.  Thus it’s only going to get worst as she gets older.