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Taylormom2's picture

My life has been turned upside down. I’m new here. First entry. 

I am divorced, with two children. I am dating a guy for 3.5 years with 2 children. And that’s where the problems 

please tell me it gets better. I have experienced more rejection from his kids than I have my entire life. Nothing I do is good enough. NOTHING. Daughter won’t speak to me and used to wouldn’t even acknowledge me in a room, seriously have come a long way that now she will at least answer me in a full sentence if I ask her something. This weekend, we grilled burgers (specifically for his son who eats 3’things, chicken tenders, pancakes, and hamburgers and all he can say when we were grilling is I want to go out to eat bc it taste better. I was so put off. Seriously, I’m a really good cook (not being arrogant) but apparently if isn’t frozen chicken tenders it isn’t good enough. Then my sweet daughter says when are y’all going to get married and he rolls his eyed and says never. Y’all, the first thing that popped out of my mouth was he doesn’t want us to get married. My little girls said WHATS WRONG WITH YOU? I said good thing your just a kid and you don’t get to make decisions. If you don’t want us to be married you can stay at your moms house instead of coming over. Like wtf have I ever done to him other than try to love him, try to treat him like one of my own, try to give him and his dad time alone, I try so frigging hard!!! I can’t do it anymore. He told us this weekend he feels left out and doesn’t get enough attention.  Y’all!! He gets all the attention. He is so overcompensated for, it’s ridiculous!! My kids are just so happy and enjoying everyone and he isn’t getting enough attention? He said my kids get more than him. I seriously almost cried bc I feel like I give my kids less trying to make sure I show them they are wanted. Apparently... not good enough. But the reality is, my kids are accepting and engaging and live in the moment. His stay on their phones and hardly speak. Ever. I just can’t even! 

I finally told my boyfriend that I don’t want them around. I can’t do it anymore. What else can I do?? How else can I show them love??? What more could I say or how much space could I give. I told him to expect me to keen trying to experience blatant rejection is unfair. It’s unfair for them to treat me like an outcast and expect me to not be affected by it. 

Please tell me if gets better. Please give me any advice. I’m desperate. But I’m so tired and angry. 

I feel so alone. 

Taylormom2's picture

a lot of the times, yes he does. A lot of the times he gets on to them. He feels so much guilt for the divorce it’s like he doesn’t parent them bc he doesn’t want to be the bad guy when he has them twice a month. 

They are brats. Both of them. I blame a lot of this on their mom bc she lets them do whatever and act however and a lot of it in him for allowing it when he has them. 

I’m tired of being the bad guy bc I have rules and expectations. It’s like I told my kids, you can feel however you want to, but you can’t act how you want. 

CANYOUHELP's picture

Sorry to tell you it does NOT get any better with a passive daddeeee. Time only defines the problem more precisely. Most of us here deal with this syndrome -but with kids of all different ages.  From experience I can give you about a 100% garantee the kid adults are no better,  maybe worse and more aggressively manipulative to the SM, whom they do not want around.  They spend an inordinate amount of time working to destroy your marriage (or relationship), any way they can, if dadddeee cannot put a stop to it and most for a myriad of equally sick reasons-- do not. 

If you are seeing this now, it might be a great time (before you are married), to think about it you wish to deal with so much worse to come.  

The problem is daddeeee and daddeeee's inability to parent his kid is unlikely to change in the future.

inlovewithmichaeldes's picture

I feel your pain! My SS13 lives with us every other week and I have been in his life for 4.5 years now. To this day, he has never said a word to me without me initiating. I am not even kidding! Even when he does answer, it's usually one word answers and little to no eye contact. His 3 older sisters never moved in with us and chose to stay with their mom. My husband only moved in 1.5 years ago after 3 years of dating so it wasn't even a quick move and we gave them time to get use to me. 

I am just polite around him and no longer make an effort to go out of my way for him. This is odd because I absolutely love kids especially my own. However, after years of trying I just simply gave up. I don't care anymore. Not my kid, not my problem! When my husband asked his kids why they felt uncomfortable around me, they said I was always inviting them to the movies or out to eat!! What a BITCH I am lmao! How dare I want to treat them to a nice meal and movie and spend money on them! 

Sadly I have all but given up and I don't give a crap about them. I try to not be generous with them or buy them anything. This is so not me but this is how relationships become after years of trying and being rejected repeatedly and ignored. On the surface, I am very kind to them but I would ever go out of my way for them! Disengage for your sanity!

Taylormom2's picture

I literally told my mom the same thing 5 min ago. I’m just done trying. I’ll help take care of them when they are here, but that’s it. They won’t be coming over if it isn’t his weekend bc it is unfair to expect me to want them around when they act like this. I just don’t care anymore. I know I will never be close to them, and I’m to the point where that’s fine. I’m just done trying. Done caring. And I’m just over it all. 

 

Im sorry you experience the same. Who ever would’ve thought step families are so mich trouble. 

tog redux's picture

Don't help when they are there, that's not your job. It's twice a month, your BF can handle it himself - frankly, I'd just make myself scarce and busy with my own activities and friends.

You don't have to help parent someone else's rude kids.

inlovewithmichaeldes's picture

My DH is afraid (deep down I think) that SS won't want to live with us anymore so he let's him do anything he wants including playing xbox for 16 hours a day in his room with the door shut. I shouldn't complain though because at least he is out of sight and mind! When his dad isn't here, he brings his food upstairs so he can continue to play xbox. I use to worry and say things to his dad about his sons behaviour but he didn't do anything for fear that his son would leave (my opinion but he wouldn't agree I'm sure). He doesn't have games at his mom's house so he likes being here only for the xbox and lack of parenting lol!

My kids however, live here full time and are happy, outgoing and well mannered (not just my opinion but teachers and other parents) so I just focus on parenting my kids and let SS do his own thing. I hope that maybe he will get some social skills passively just by living here :  )

inlovewithmichaeldes's picture

Good plan! For your survival, just stop trying. Be polite to them and fake it but don't go out of your way. I used to notice his short pants and buy clothes for him (using DH money). Now I don't say a thing. I do wash them and make his lunch with the other kids but I only do these things if I am doing it anyways for my kids. I love my DH very much so I do this only because it is his son. 

Oddly enough, my kids adore my DH and my youngest daughter calls him daddy since he has been the strongest father figure in her life since she was 2 years. My 12 year old son also adores him and considers him to be a Dad even though he calls him by his first name. The older kids also love and respect him. Sometimes I am secretly jealous and he got off so easy in the step world when I am only treated with silence, rudeness and ignored despite the fact that I did nothing to them and only gave them love and spent money on them.

Step mom's have an unfair disadvantage. Step dad's are often treated better for some reason? I guess society has made stepmothers an evil entity to be hated and never trusted??

I hold strong to the knowledge that eventually he will move out. Start the count down!!

It's mind over matter! Just stop trying and caring for your own sanity and survival!

tog redux's picture

Bio mothers are often far more territorial and likely to block a positive relationship with a stepmother than bio fathers are with a stepfather.

Your DH got off easy because you parent your kids and so they are respectful, caring kids (and I assume their father doesn't badmouth your DH and make it hard for him).

notasm3's picture

Life lesson for him - most people choose to ignore aholes rather than give them lots of positive attention.

Frustrated future SM's picture

You sound like an awesome woman trying to do the best you can to be a real family and make sure his kids always feel included. His kids sound like spoiled, self-centered, entitled jerks and if I were you I'd pull back and stop giving them so much attention. I dont think I'd disengage completely but I definitely would stop going out of my way for them, especially if it meant I was doing more for them than for my own kids.

I can relate. My boyfriend's oldest barely speaks to me and isolates himself from the rest of us. His youngest I feel like I have a chance to build a relationship with. However, I just had a daughter with my boyfriend and am a first time mom. I love my daughter and pretty much only want to give all my attention to her but I definitely do what I can to include his kids. I'm going to keep trying for now but if things don't improve then I will just completely focus on my own child. 

There's nothing else you can do and I don't blame you for not wanting them around. It sounds like they're dead set on not bonding with you and don't care to have a relationship with you. Just enjoy your own kids who need you and love you unconditionally and forget about his kids.

LBS714's picture

Girrrrlllll, OMG I feel you. I have 1 SS9 (who we have full custody of) and my DD9 and DD5, and DD9 and SS9 are ALWAYS fighting over something. MY DD9 cares way too much about others (yes, it's a good quality for future nurses or doctors) but my SS9 is SO effing mean and hateful I CANNOT stand him. He literally will walk in the room, say hello to his dad and completely act like I'm not there. God forbid I have to get onto him for something, then I am treated like I am the meanest person alive. My DD's are both amazing kids, they're honest, kind, get awesome grades in school, they fight over dumb crap but that's because they're sisters and have to share a room at the moment while 'wonderful' SS9 gets the bigger room for whatever reason. I just remind my DD's that when we get a new house (very soon), they each get their own rooms. 

Anywho, my SS9 is horrible. He only acts like a saint when my bf is around. I mean he really goes overboard, cleans in front of him, acts like he's the nicest kid to my kids, but bf walks out the door, its like Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde. My DD9 sees right through it. We talk when we are alone on car rides home and she tells me pretty much what I think of him. SS9 plays his dad like a fiddle, I've told my bf that too. He doesn't see it but I've completely disengaged. I've told my DD9 to not even acknowledge his existence if he's going to be ugly. He's failing the 4th grade, but gets to play video games and watch youtube all night, because it's "not his fault he has adhd". Little do they know, DD9 is an unmedicated ADHD kid, and she does just fine. We even got a letter that he's going to fail if nothing changes, and nothing has been done so.. not my kid, not my problem!! You want to destin him for flipping burgers and/or in prison orange, so be it! I count down the days til he goes to his mothers for the weekend and honestly I wish she'd take him more and be more involved. 

Taylormom2's picture

God you poor thing! I get it. You give and give and then seriously, you are left out?!? I asked my bf what more can I give your kids. What more can I do. My son, willingly and lovingly, shared his bed, his toys, his privacy, his clothes, his mother, and NEVER says one word about it. He excitingly does it, and does it with love. My daughter, who is 6, has given up her f-big bed and sleeps on a pallet in her room, and does it with excitement because a cheerleader is sleeping in her room. My daughter adores his daughter, and I look at her like why??? What is it about this girl that she could even remotely want to look up to? She hardly speaks to her. My 6 yo told me one day “she doesn’t talk to me bc she doesn’t like me”. How dare you make a 6 yo feel that way. 

I truly don’t want them at my home anymore. His lease is up in 1 month and he was going to move into my house, he stays here all the time anyway, but I seriously am considering just telling him to keep it and go there when he has his kids. We aren’t a family. We will never be s family. And I would never ask him to choose between me and his kids, but I also don’t think I should have to endure seeing his kids act this way and him keep his head in the sand. 

Just. Ughhhh!! It makes me feel so much better having people experiencing the same and being able to vent.