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I feel as if my fiance puts his daughter's mother before me

Erica Eve's picture

Hello, I am new to this site and this is my first topic. I am getting married to my boyfriend of 7 years. We dated back in HS separated and I began a life and a family with my ex husband he went and had a daugther also now we are back together and planning to get married. My big issue with him is whenever his daughter's mother calls or tells him to do something he jumps without consulting me. Am I wrong for feeling this way?

Erica Eve's picture

I felt guilty for feeling this way or even bringing it up
right away he tells me we have to live this way for his daughter and if i loved her I won't feel this way
I don't see how it makes a difference for her

skylarksms's picture

Um - no, you DON'T have to live that way for his daughter.

My husband is not at the bio-mom's beck and call. Why should your bf be?

Is there court-ordered visitation in place? If not, that is the first place to start.

Enforcing boundaries and documenting any craziness on behalf of the bio-mom will be essential in your situation.

Erica Eve's picture

There is a court order which is always changing because we are still in court fighting for physical custody. She lived with us for a year because she was removed by children's services but shes back at the mothers house and now its back to our life revolving around her.
Next week school is closed and she sends him a text and says can she stay with us for the week
I have no problem with her staying that is not the issue
my issue is before answering her talk to me about it my schedule will have to change no one elses
So now i have to try and get her a spot in the daycare here at my job and travel all week with her and my boys to the city without anyone asking me if it is ok
I get the my daughter is staying this week with us

skylarksms's picture

OK then it is YOU who need to enforce the boundaries. You are not responsible for any kids besides the ones you personally gave birth to. Do not let anyone guilt you into thinking any different.

You will (now or eventually) have to put your foot down. Even then, most guys still don't realize. Some posters on this site have left and stayed at a hotel while the skids visit.

I think men feel like women are so hard-wired to be caregivers that they don't care if it is their own child or not.

You may want to help your BF out by helping out with his kid(s) but eventually, it won't be good enough and you will end up resentful. I'd advise you not to go down that path and enforce your boundaries early on!

Rags's picture

Unknw

Nea

Time to shred the toxic X and purge her from your lives and as much as possible... purge her from the SKid's life.

Though we never withheld visitation, neither did we allow the back and forth thing. There was a CO with a clear visitation schedule and that was all they got. PERIOD DOT!  It was crystal clear to them and to SS that his mom had custody and he would not live with them until he aged out from under the CO when turning 18.

The only time we ever granted a request for extended visitation was during the last Summer visitation.  SS asked if he could stay an extra 10days and be with the SpermClan for his 18th B-day.  We said yes. We did fear that he would inform us after his birthday that he was staying.  So, to make that conversation be face to face rather than over the phone my DW took a road trip with her brother from our home to SpermLand so SS would have to tell her to her face.  I flew out the day SS was supposed to end his extended last visitation to drive back with my wife and SS (if he chose to come home).  

Pick up was not an issue though SS was extremely quiet for the first couple of days of our week long road trip from SpermLand home.  

Towards the end of day two he broke his vow of mostly silence and informed us that he knew we had come to get him so he would have to tell us F2F if he was not coming home.  He then told us he knew where his home was and who the people who loved him and really cared about him were.  The next day we crested the N Rim of the Grand Canyon and his introspective sullen shell shattered and we had our son back.

In the succeeding almost 13 years since then our son has thrived as a man and an adult.  He has little to do with the SpermClan due to their ongoing manipulative crap.  Their first first round of that after he turned 18 was an attempt to guilt him into repaying them for the 16+ years of CS they had paid.  They attempted to manipulative him into believing that since they had supported him with CS while he was growing up that he should support his three younger Spermidiot spawned half sibs by two other baby mammas because they did not have the nice things he was raised with.  

We raised a man of character and analytical ability. He did not buy into that and pretty much wrote them off at that point.  Sadly Spermidiot spawn #2 is on the dole, #3 is in prison, and #4 is not far behind the inmate.

That ours was a long distance visitation schedule made it simple compared to the local visitation models that so many struggle with.  The lies, toxic manipulation attempts, guilt campaigns againse SS, and the full court press attempts to alienate SS from his mom and I were limited to the visitation schedule (5wks summer, 1wk winter, 1wk spring), some intermittent raging phone calls, and the occassional hearing in front of a Judge.

We kept SS fully in the loop on the comprehensive facts. In an age appropriate manner.

I suggest that you force the games ot stop and force DH to shove his X into her hole and leave her there.  His daughter needs to see dad be confident, she needs the facts regarding the governance of her life as a COD, and she needs to understand she really has no say until she ages out from under the CO.

IMHO of course.

Good luck.

Erica Eve's picture

I tried then he makes me feel guilty

I don't have any issue helping him and doing for her because I do love her like shes my own
I have been involved in her life since she was 2 years old

I shouldn't have to deal with him treating me the way he does when it comes to that
I should have say I should get thought of when it comes to that situtation

skylarksms's picture

Nobody can make you feel guilty without your consent.

And he will only treat you the way you allow him to. If you, like me, are the type of person who is non-confrontational in your personal relationship, you will get walked on like a doormat.

You may be ok with this to begin with but as you get older, you will become resentful over this.

I know I wished I had established clear and consistent boundaries when my husband and I first married. It would have saved a lot of the issues we are having now.

IAmTheMeanOne's picture

i hate it when sweet new rosey eyed SP's come in and say "i love them as my own"....no you dont.   it is ok that that you dont....but dont say it because it is so untrue.   if she was your own there would be zero discussion you would just do it. .. facts. .. you probably wouldnt even say anything to your DH.  that is what moms do with their kids...

now SK's....the OP's take advantage of SP's (men mostly taking advantage of women) because they think they should just drop everything and take care of the kid.  that's what a mom is supposed to do right?  but you are not the mom.  i dont care how many folks use that stupid "bonus" mom phrase...you are not the mother.  periodt.  the father needs to take care of their child.  they procreated and need to not push off their responsibilities to the SP.  this will eventually lead to discord and resentment.  you are already feeling the resentment towards your DH.  you need to set boundries and not feel guilty.  you should not be treated like a non person because you married a guy with another kid.  he needs to be man enough and take care of his kid, and if he needs help, give you advanced notice and ASK first.  

next time he volunteers you, you have other plans.  he is a grown up (supposedly)...he can make other plans himself.

Rags's picture

family experience I was able to and still love my SS-30 as my own. He is my own. It took 20 years to make that official with papers, but... the adult adoption that he asked for when he was 22 just confirmed what had been our reality since he was a toddler. He is mine. I am his dad.

His mom and I established at the beginning that we would be both equity partners and equity parents to any children in our home regardless of kid biology. At is turned out, SS is an only child in our family.  He is the eldes of 4 all out of wedlock by three different baby mamas in the SpermClan (via the loins of the Spermidiot).

In so may of hte situations that OPs present, I agree with you entirely that the prior breeder partner who brings toxic spawn and a toxic X into a new pair bonding, hell no. The SP has zero ownership and should not accept any except when the prior breeder complies with the stipulations mandated by the StepParent partner.

Dirol

Winterglow's picture

Dammit,stop feeling guilty and go for the jugular.

"You WILL ask me first."

"You will NOT treat me like the hired help."

"I live here too and my opinion COUNTS."

"Kindly have the basic decency to consult me before making any promises that concern me."

As from now on, he is responsible for his daughter's care unless you agree on things beforehand. Do not feel guilty, she is not your child. 

Make him more afraid of upsetting you than upsetting his ex. You are the woman in his life and he should be happy that you love his daughter rather than risk driving a wedge between you and her. If he doesn't shape up he could destroy a great situation... and all because he can't reclaim his balls from his ex. 

Erica Eve's picture

1. no
2. no
3. no
4. no
5. no
6. no
7. yes
8. no (shes more attached to me then him)
9. no
10. no
11. YES

The problem is not his daughter in anyway he is very good with not letting her get her way and sets boundaries for her its the way he handles her mother!!

she bad mouths me to her daughter which her daughter tells me and expresses how much she hates it but can't say anything to defend this because her mother will hit her (but she shouldn't have to defend me and will not expect that)

She gets away with too much and he thinks he has to bend for her in order to be close to his daughter and be there for her.

I definitely know that he is putting his BM before me but he I don't think he sees it that way.

Is the way to handle this is just give up on us and the family we are building or ?????

oneoffour's picture

Well, do you live with him? Of course he is giving you the 'privilege' or arranging daycare etc for his daughter because HE expects it of you. Why? Because you stuck your hand up a few times and went "Me! Me! Me! I can fix this!"

The time has come to lower your hand and become selectively deaf. And issue a few edicts of your own...

1) I will NOT be arranging daycare or any other kind of care for YOUR daughter without you ASKING me first. If you accept any offer from your daughters mother then you are on your own with the arrangements. I love your daughter however I am not legally obliged to do anything for her except save her from iminent danger.

2) Your ex will not get easier to handle. This is the nature of the beast she is. She will continue to grab your 'boys' and yank them until you cry. I refuse to be involved in drop offs or pick ups without prior consultation. I am not her mother, you are her father. I have no responsibility to your daughter, you do.

3) I will not marry you until you have been to court and everything is finalised. In fact I am giving you 1 year to get this worked out or we are through. I refuse to live my life based on your daughters mother's whims and demands.

Honey, this is one reason I would NEVER live with a man unless he had his ex on a short chain and they respected each others boundaries. This is all created not only by her but by him. He has allowed her to behave like this. And now he is using your affection for his daughter to make you partner in on his hoops on fire jumping game.

Good luck. But I don't see it getting any better anytime soon... if ever.

Notthedoormat's picture

Where you're coming from. My DH's ex wasn't involved until we had been married a few years,  so I had to go through something similar. 

I think you should not walk on eggshells with him, though that can be hard when you don't like confrontation.  I had to get so uncomfortable that I couldn't stand it anymore before I really stood up for myself and what I deserve. 

I'd revisit the situation with him....ask him about what he said about the situation has to be this way...why he feels it has to be this way.  Then I'd let him know you need him to consider alternative ways to manage it that don't include making you feel 2nd fiddle to BM.  Tell him honestly how you feel so that he understands your relationship may be at risk here. That might help him get his priorities in order.

As for SD, it sounds like you have a great relationship with her so far, and while that's great, you most certainly need to be consulted, not told, about scheduling changes that impact you! It's called being considerate. He needs a reality check before his world implodes.

Lillywy00's picture

I can totally relate to your scenario. Are we engaged to the same guy? 
 

all jokes aside
 

the common theme here is boundaries. 
 

and yes they will pull the guilt card to make you feel guilty for setting boundaries but unless you do then you will start to feel resentful, etc
 

 

walfredo's picture

I have found myself having a really difficult time when my wife prioritizes her ex above me... Even without being worried about a romantic link, it just pisses me off and I hate it.

Rags's picture

Stop that.

If your DF is choosing his X over you, count yourself fortunate to have learned this before you made the mistake of marrying him.

End it, dump him, get on with your life, and let him continue to invest in being enmeshed with his X.

He is not worthy of you.

Take care of you.