Step daughter is going to be one of those couch potato's that I said I would never have
My step daughter is 9 going on 7 most days. She is a fantastic little artist, but outside of that has no interest in hobbies or sports of any kind that require more than 15 minute attention span. BTW, this applies to board games as well.
My issue is (and I posted this to another poster earlier) my two kids 8 and 5 love to play sports with me and I love to hang out with them. I think sports/hobbies are great character builders and later on, can serve to keep kids from getting in the wrong crowd when they are bored to death. My wife has been cool (married one year after my first wife died 3 years ago) so far but I anticipate down the road this will be an issue. I have learned to defuse bombs before they blow in life and think this one is ticking now and I have no idea what to do? I talked to my wife and she said something to the effect of "what about your other child (hers)". Well, she has the attention span of a 4 year old...I swear. Her Dad was a prick that was never around and God love her, has little athletic ability...and no...I am not saying that is the end all, be all, but it is something I enjoy as do my natural kids.
I see Jealousy issues galore down the road and in my gut, if put to the test, I would choose to hang with my kids instead of make them suffer because one kids hold the others prisoner.
Did I mention I love hanging with my kids and watching them compete? I am sick over this really..and I feel like a jerk for saying this..however...if my sd was not in the picture (I know...stupid to say) my wife would be happy to hang with my naturals and watch along with me.
Can someone please help me?
Welcome to Steptalk! As
Welcome to Steptalk!
As human beings, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. We all have different interests.
As far as her attention span goes, what other behavior does she exhibit? Does she have a lot of energy? Is she shy and reserved?
Maybe you might consider engaging her in a conversation about art. Start off by telling her that her art is fantastic and you love it. Ask her what her inspiration is. Ask her which artists she likes. Ask her what kind of art she likes- i.e. paintings, cartoons, etc. and tell her what kind of art you like. Once you get the converstaion started, see where it goes. Whenever you see her drawing, tell her she's doing an awesome job.
Art can serve to keep kids off the streets too. Many celebrities credit art with saving them and helping them.
all kids are different and
all kids are different and have different interests. why not introduce your bio kids to your sd's art? maybe they can all hang out and do things together. and so what if sd is not athletic? maybe with practice she can get better or at least have fun trying.
give her more of a chance, please. at least you arent dealing with a skid who is trying to destroy you and your family.
good luck.