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So annoying

Keyliming's picture
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I have been with my husband for over a year (we just got married 2 months ago). We met in San Diego and when the pandemic hit, he had to move back home to Texas due to being laid off and because BM was also returning to a Texas with their 5 year old daughter. Since we now live together, we see her every other weekend from Friday-Sunday. I personally have never wanted kids; I love my life too much without them. I hate mess and noise, I love traveling whenever I like, I love going for trips and meals out with my husband, and I love being able to do what I want whenever I want. I don't want to spend my days listening to crying, arguing, whining, doing the school run in the rain, going to recitals, etc. The planet has plenty of humans and I don't want to add to that problem. HOWEVER, because I wanted to be with my husband, I had to also sign up to being a SM. I even broke up with my husband (then boyfriend) a few months in because I told him I really didn't want to be a SM. 

Now she's a good kid. She is well behaved and when you tell her no she will 8/10 just say "okay" and go on her merry way. But she is SO GODDAMN ANNOYING. She pesters me a hell of a lot more than my husband. She goes through my clothes, my makeup, my skincare stuff and wants to wear and use it all. She follows me around and doesn't shut up. She doesn't do this with my husband because he can't engage with how girly she is and is usually on his phone or at work. She's a super girly girl and is the obnoxious "pink, glitter, mermaids and unicorns" stereotype. I try to be patient with her but if I'm not constantly drinking some kind of alcohol then I am on edge. 

Husband is stern with her when he needs to be but also let's her get away with some things that I personally wouldn't. She's addicted to YouTube and her iPad and only eats French fried and then is suddenly "too full" to eat anything else (this is especially annoying when she asks to go out to eat and then she doesn't finish what she's ordered). If it were my way she wouldn't leave the table until her protein and veggies are gone. She wouldn't be going to bed with an iPad glued to her face. All she has to do is say "Uhmm Daddy" in her stupid baby voice and he gives in. 

Now I teach special education so I have a LOT of patience but there is just something about this kid that makes me so angry. I was in such a bad mood today that my husband and BM went to her dancing recital and I decided I had to stay home to cool off. Husband wants me to work on my patience and sometimes I can be totally fine with her. For example, I usually have to pick her up because husband is working on Friday evenings. At that point I'm in a better mood and I can talk to her, have fun, do girly things with her and actually enjoy it and have fun. I'll even make sure we have a fun activity to do in Saturday's for her (going to a museum, baking cookies, watching a movie, etc.) But by the time Sunday comes around I am in a FOUL mood and don't even want to look at her. 

Is this normal? I feel bad for resenting her because it's not her fault that she exists. I feel bad for resenting my husband because he was just a dumb 24 year old who thought "ah yes let me impregnate my 20 year old girlfriend because we will definitely last forever" and then obviously didn't.

I just never imagined starting married life with a fucking 5 year old in the picture. I wanted to enjoy my time with it being just the two of us and now I feel stuck because this is something I have to continue to live and deal with. I just hope she gets less annoying as she gets older.

hereiam's picture

I don't mean to sound harsh, but I think the break up should have stuck. You knew that you did not want to be a step mom. And being with someone only a year, especially when they have kids, is not long enough to really get to know the person and the dynamics of what you are in for.

You say that she's a good kid but that there is something about her that makes you angry. I think you need to figure out what that is, if you want this marriage to work.

I get it. I've never wanted kids, either, so being a step mother was not exactly on my list of things to do. But my SD was a pretty good kid and my DH was a good father (started dating him when she was 5, she's now almost 30). He took care of her when she was at our house. Not that I didn't do things for her and with her but it was at MY discretion.

Maybe take a step back and leave more to your husband. It's not your job to make sure she has fun things to do on Saturdays. If the Friday night thing is enough for you, then stop at that. She's there to spend time with her father, after all.

Believe me, I was always glad to have my house back on Sundays, so I do get that.

What do you think puts you in such a foul mood by Sunday? Is it spending time with her? Is it that she takes time away from you being with just your DH? I think you need to figure that out.

I never worried about my SD taking my husband's time away from me on the weekends she was here. First of all, he did always want to include me, second, I was fine doing my own thing while they went to the park or whatever (I usually insisted on it).

I know you hope she will be less annoying as she gets older, but my experience is the opposite and the teen years are the worst!

If you wanted to be with someone where it was just the two of you, you married the wrong man. If you want this relationship to work, you need to get to the bottom of your ill feelings towards this girl. And maybe you won't be able to. There's nothing wrong with admitting that you made a mistake and this isn't what you want.

ndc's picture

I can tell you from my personal experience that skids do not get less annoying.  Now, I will caveat this by saying that I like my SDs and they're pretty good kids.  But they were less annoying, to me at least, when they were 1 and 4 than they are at just turned-6 and 8.  There are definitely advantages to them being older - they're more independent, they're easier to take places, they can communicate better - but some of those very things make them more annoying, too.  Based on seeing other kids, I'm guessing they'll be even more annoying when they get to be tweens and teens.  So if you're struggling with a 5 year old, it may not get much better with time unless you prefer older children (and it sounds like you prefer no children).

Would it be better if you didn't have to spend time alone with her while your husband works?  If your husband went out with her alone one day of the weekends he has her so you'd have time away from her?  If there were better boundaries, so that she's not ever into your clothes, makeup and skincare products?  (I'd go wild if my SDs ever got into my stuff - they know better than to try).  Or is it just the fact that she's a kid who is with you two weekends a month that is the problem?  If it's the former, talk to your husband about what can be done to make things more bearable for you.  If it's the latter, well, then this is probably not the right relationship for you and you should consider walking away for your sake and theirs.
 

Winterglow's picture

You're putting your all into entertaining her on Fridays and Saturdays and have nothing left to give by Sunday. It would probably help if your DH took her out of your hair all day on Sundays. Is there any family around they could visit? 

Keyliming's picture

All of my family is in California and his family is all in Florida. We are in Austin, Texas. I just moved here in February. BM's family is here mostly hence why she decided to move back here from San Diego. DH didn't get a say and usually just follows her every time she decides to pick up and move.

Stepdrama2020's picture

Your DH will actually move when BM does? This will be your life girl. Not to mention a girly girl SD at 5 who wraps daddy around her finger does it even better at 15 TRUST ME. You will get very resentful and be bitter. The anger you have now will multiply TRUST ME.

Make a clean break enjoy life and find a bio free man.

Rags's picture

You made the choice to marry him.  I get that it is a challenge and I am definitely not playing the " You knew he had a kid and what you were getting into" card.  
 

For your own happiness, move on.  He will always have a kid.  For the rest of his life.

Keyliming's picture

I understand that. I think it's just difficult right now because of all the changes that have come along these past few months and she's just the cherry on top. I honestly probably shouldn't stuck with the break-up when I initially did it but he wanted it to work out so badly and he was there for me when I had to get a restraining order from someone in San Diego. Since he had moved to Texas last July, it had been months since I'd even seen SD so I thought that maybe things would be better because I was so happy getting back with him. Alas, the feelings of frustration are back but now I'm going to try fully disengaging and hoping that works.

Rags's picture

Get into life there, make yourself and your DH so busy that the Skid is little more than an afterthought.  

Austin is a great place for young adults to live an incredible life.

BM is there, so make her parent and fulfill the role of CP wich no doubt your DH pays her to perform.  Focus on return for that investment.  Including maximizing your free time with DH so the two of you can make a life and stop following BM around like the breeder baby sitter circus.

All IMHO of course.

Good luck.

simifan's picture

I'm not understanding why you are tasked with entertaining her constantly. This is draining even with ones own children. A 5 year old should be able to entertain themselves for a while - a movie, coloring, legos, etc. It sounds to me like DH has tasked parenting/entertaining this child entirely to you. This child is not your responsibility. You seem to be chafing because your routine is changed. Take some "me time" on these weekends. Go to the gym, out with girlfriends, etc. See how your mood changes. 

LittleCloud9's picture

Could the fact that you have been through a number of major life changes (marriage, moving...) all the while dealing with a pandemic and craziness of the past year possibly be affecting your ability to deal with sd? That's a lot of stress, then she is one more factor on top of that. She sounds very much like an average little girl. She probably wants to know all about you and wants you to like her, hence the never leaving you alone. Children are seldom really evil or trying to make you miserable. But they are very needy. Until you have to LIVE with a kid, I don't think it's possible to understand how much time and attention they truly need. It's just their nature, 95% of the time. 
Adjusting to your new life and finding the right balance in your new family is hard. Studies have shown it can take an average of 7 years for a step family to stabilize. Of course, that's an average. It might help for you to reflect on all the areas of your life and see where all your energy is being spent. Are there others sources of stress that are draining you? She may be the noisiest stressor but that doesn't mean she's the source of all the negative feelings. Perhaps she's just the straw that broke the camels back.

With so much changing in your life maybe you need some new supports and outlets to stay healthy mentally and emotionally.  It's just a thought. I wish you well.

Keyliming's picture

Thank you all so much for the feedback. I sent him the Disengaging essay yesterday and asked him to read it becase it's what I'd like to start doing. I think he wants me to play mom whenever she's over so he can pretend that he never messed up his now "broken family" in the first place (he cheated on BM and that's why the two of them split up and he nows he ruined SD's chance of a united family). I'm going to start just letting him step up and parent her including picking her up, dropping her off, and thinking of things for them to do together. And yes, this year has been really crazy.

I left San Diego for him but alo because I had a restraining order against of my students' parents when I was teaching there. I had a temporary restraining order for about a month and the judge didn't renew a permanent one so I decided to leave for that reason but also because I wanted to be with DH. The parent I had a retraining order against lived a few blocks away from me, knew where I lived, and his mother (my student's grandmother) lived across the street from me so I never felt safe. When I got to Texas, I immediately missed home (and still do). I had to get a new job in the middle of the school year, my grandfather died from COVID last month and he and I were upser close, and then getting married and thrust into stepmom life has been a lot to handle these past few months so I know that having a 5 year old around who pesters me isn't helping. 

I'm waiting for DH to come home so we can discuss the disengaging thing more often. I know he's not going to be happy about it but I think it's what's best for now.

LittleCloud9's picture

I'm truly sorry you have had so much to deal with. I hope your dh is understanding of all you've been through. 
sending you positive thoughts 

hereiam's picture

He really doesn't get to be unhappy about it, as his daughter is not your responsibility and you are not her second chance at an intact family. It is what it is, her parents are divorced and you are not BM's stand in. SD's weekends with her dad are just that, time with her dad. You can join if you choose, but it is your choice.

Yes, he is the one who should be doing pick ups, drop offs, and everything in between.

Keyliming's picture

I told him this last night that he needed to start picking up and droping her off (the meeting point is about 30-45 minutes away) and doing everything for and with her instead of me. He said "but I work on Friday nights" and I told him that he needed to either picker her up on Saturday mornings or figure something out with his work; "I'm not doing that. I'm not risking time with my daughter to be taken away and pick her up on only Saturay's" so I told him to talk to BM to see if he could have her every weekend rather than EOW but that he would still have to pick her up. And by the way, even when she does come here on Friday night (when I pick her up) she is usually asleep by the time he gets home anyway so it doesn't really make much of a difference for him to get her Saturday mornings anyway.

hereiam's picture

even when she does come here on Friday night (when I pick her up) she is usually asleep by the time he gets home anyway so it doesn't really make much of a difference for him to get her Saturday mornings anyway.

Yeah, his arguement about a Saturday pick up is moot. He doesn't see her until Saturday, anyway.

I wouldn't have mentioned having her every weekend, though, just to make up for a few hours that he doesn't see her on Friday nights (but that's just me).