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New here and need to vent in a safe atmosphere. Advice more than welcome, but please keep it constructive and be gentle.

iluvcheese's picture

This may be long, so thank you for reading. I have been married a little over a year to man with a daughter. I feel so disrespected, and I've felt this way for so long, it's making very resentful and I don't know how to get past it. From the beginning of our marriage I have felt disrespected by DH, bm, & bm's mom. My DH & I had a break in, he thought it was bm's husband. I told him I no longer wanted bm coming in the house every day, sd is back and forth every day, bm wasn't polite to me in my own home, so the break in gave me further reason to not want her inside. DH & I fought for months, while I hid upstairs when bm arrived. Eventually DH realized bm has no reason to be in our home every single day, but by the time he changed it, 6 months later, I felt so disrespected & so uncomfortable in my own home I couldn't be happy about the change. She used our home as a storage unit, because she used to live there. I asked if she could get her things from the garage, so I could actually put my car in the garage. Months until she got her stuff, because DH didn't see why it was such a huge problem for me. I feel like my DH is more married to bm, than he is to me. The 2 of them are always texting, constantly chatting and making plans. Some of these plans affect me and my time, my home, but I am never included in the discussion, not even by DH, and my opinion isn't welcome. Sometimes I won't find out about plans, ones I'm involved in until the last minute. I have been pregnant twice through all of this. One miscarriage and one stillborn. DH & bm actually have discussions about me during this, bm talks negatively about me & DH listens. Bm & bm's mom, judged me for my miscarriage and stillborn son & I can't get past it. Saying things like, I don't see why you can't care for sd this week. Ugh I gave birth. I need to physically heal and I'm an emotional basket case. I need space and time to heal with DH. A week isn't asking a whole lot, after such a thing. Bm says, when my grandfather died when I was little, we moved on, my mom didn't send me with someone else, he (my stillborn son) wasn't even a baby, I don't see what she's so upset about. A grandparent dying is a normal life event, how can you compare that. Congrats to her on not caring about her grandfathers death and not grieving, but I was grieving the death of my son and being judged for it. It hurt me to the core and I have hated her and her mother ever since, because bm's mom gave DH the same speech. I do not know how to get past what was said, I find it unforgivable. I don't understand how a woman could be so cruel about such a thing. It feels like my DH cares more about what his xgf thinks, than he does what his wife thinks. He respects her more, if he can plan things out with her and leave me completely uninvolved in decisions including ones that affect me. All I want, is to be a part of the discussion, when it affects me. Is it too much to ask? I don't know how to move past all the hurt. I don't know what to do. I just want to feel like I matter and like I'm a part of things, like my place in raising my sd is respected, and like my DH respects me and values my opinions. I want to feel like I'm married to my husband, I don't want to feel like my DH is more married to his xgf, particularly one that entered my home scowling at me, continued to enter my home knowing I didn't want her there, used my home as a storage space disrespecting my space even further, no say in my own home, and then disrespected and judged me for grieving my babies. I don't know what to do, but I needed to vent in an environment I may be understood in. Again thank you for reading.

rosie33's picture

I agree. Things are not going to get better. He doesn't respect your feelings and he should've been the first person to say you weren't able to watch his child while you were grieving your own! It seems like you take a second seat to BM and that should NEVER be the case. Even if you two were BFF's.

Ewwww to her always being in your home!! I feel like there should've been some ground rules set from the door in regards to boundaries with her but since there wasn't its going to be hard for him to understand otherwise.

I hope you realize that you are unhappy and you can fix that. You are in complete control of your happiness.

Stepped in what momma's picture

I would suggest a trial separation, this will allow you to heal and figure out what you want while allowing your DH to handle his own child while you are away. Go get a 6 mo lease at an apt or go to an extended stay for a month.

iluvcheese's picture

Thank you everyone, I feel understood. I keep threatening to leave, even did the last time I was pregnant, but after our son was stillborn I was so vulnerable. He said he wanted to work things out and I believed him. I think he does want to be with me, but he doesn't want to work (key word work) things out with me. He continues to devalue me and disrespect me, by constantly making plans that affect me with his ex. I then ask him to fix it, change whatever back or to compromise with me, but he views compromising with me as him bending and me controlling. What he doesn't seem to realize, if he's making all the decisions without my involvement, he's the controlling one. I don't want to be a failure at marriage, plus I do love him and genuinely care about his child. To answer the question of how long we were together before we got married 6 months. I always had a problem with her entering the house at whatever time she felt, sometimes she'd go out after work and show up at 930, sometimes 6, all depending on bm's plans for the night. I didn't realize until we were married, that DH & bm planning everything out would be such a problem. I thought when I was married to him, he'd see me as a person to value in this situation. He and his xgf were split for a year, plenty of time to get her stuff out. Not that this is an excuse, but I know some will say 6 months is fast. It is. I had just survived cancer and found someone that was willing to accept me, scars and all, I didn't think I'd find that and I'm thinking the same is true with him having a child, I accepted it and I get along with his daughter most of the time. I'm getting to the point where I don't want sd around at all, Bc if she's around bm & DH will be making plans that affect me without discussing it with me first. I don't want the stress, but I realize it isn't her fault. Anyway, I lept into marriage with him, full speed ahead, because he accepted me. I'd love to work things out with him, for us to be married, for me to matter in this situation, for our modern family to survive, but I can't do it on my own. If he isn't willing to include me, its not going to work. Thanks again for allowing me to vent and telling me what I needed to hear.

20YearsAsAStep-Mom's picture

This is a no brainer. He is disrespectful to you and you are still in the early stages of your marriage/relationship. Things will not get better - they will get worse!

Please start your exit strategy and don't wait too long - and buy some reliable birth control immediately!

sundowner's picture

Hi..I can not say I understand how you feel over the loss of your children. To say that when I havent experienced losing my child, would be like dismissing you and your experiences. However I do understand grief..in many forms. And your story is nothing but grief. And Ill gently tell you that you have your own permission to grieve however long you F..g need to or want to.Are you giving such power to these mean humans to instruct your experiences? ( Id say, Hell NO!)You are a survivor of cancer, yet your situation with this bunch seems like a life-threatening type of cancer.The type of emotional and mental disease that you describe in your story will keep you in a zombie state of unhappiness and unfulfillment That is not living..You already know what to do for yourself. Cut them out of your life. Sever all ties and find a peaceful place to heal.Give yourself what you are asking those uncaring people to do for you. Tell yourself that YOU MATTER..believe it and ACT on it.

To have a life of grief keeps you in the coping mode...not the problem-solving mode...and not the thriving mode. Your own DH is still emotionally bonded to his ex and together with the SD, they are already a unit. Throw in the in-laws and it becomes you against them.this situation probably will never , ever make uou feel "like I matter".."respected"..these people are showing you something. Take notice, that they will be showing and treating you as if you dont matter!

I qualified for State and Fed medical help...and I was diligent to have ongoing counselling. I took it very seriously.I found my worthiness and I no longer accepted demeaning relationships or entanglements,to rely on selfish people to show me that I mattered.

Actually you are one of the very few lucky ones. You invested about a year and tolerated BS. I sense there is something about you that is very valuable.. for yourself and others.Im just putting my advice out there for you to consider. Ending this diseased situation will give you grief, yet it might be short-lived.