Thank you for all the good advice and sharing similar scenarios to mine. Google and Reddit has helped me open my eyes to other healthy experiences of blended families and I realized mine would never be one of them.

DH just announced that he wants to go to SGS's high school graduation. This is the oldest son of SD who isn't talking to DH because... don't know. We used to have a good relationship with SGS but in the last few years no communication, no thank yous for gifts, etc. Expect that's about loyalty to his mother.

They are a plane ride away. When is the graduation? He doesn't know. Do we need tickets or is there a limit on seats? Don't know. He's going to call SD. Who likely won't pick up.

I have a great tenant family.  The mother is very much like AwesomeDIL...very attentive yet she doesn't spoil her son.

  Her son is also the same age as DGD, 4.  Chef was over there repairing something and he overheard the mother enforcing boundaries and Chef chimed in "Aw come on Mom , let him do what he wants."  

The mother replied "Nope!"  Good for her.   Chef was raised a spoiled feral baby of two blended families brat with elderly parents who were too tired to properly parent him.  He totally spoiled his own 3 brats (for as much as that got him.)

Backstory, Chef has a soft spot for a 40 yr old former coworker, "Davey" (names have been changed for anonymity) But he normally goes by David or Dave.  Not that this matters, but "Davey" has a wife and kids of his own.  He's generally unlikable but will talk a blue streak about his poor finances if prompted.  Chef always infantizes those who he is a sucker for, thus the Dave-"y"

So I'll start with this blog is debating wether to tell SD or not. 

SD turned 18 last week. She had plans with her BF (naturally) to go out to eat. Normally BM takes her out once a year on her birthday but not this year... SD told BM she would stop by after dinner and BM told her she couldn't... I found that interesting. 

SD and her boyfriend were leaving our house to go out and BM was calling. Where they were going was 10 minutes from our house.

10 minutes later I get a phone call. 

I've been a stepmom for 6years now and HCBM is still after my DH. Drama & Harassment has not stopped. We have done everything including getting the judge to enforce a parenting app for communication. She still stalks us at school events, if it's his visitation day she dramatically calls the kids over to her at school events, like they are going away to war and she'll never see them again. I mean dramatic! He only gets them on Thursdays and EOW. You won't believe what we have had to go through..

This is gonna be very controversial so I apologize in advance, but I'm a stepparent due to an affair. I'm a lesbian and there mom is as well. Though she was married to her boys' (17 and 14) dad for a bit but during the loveless marriage they had (She struggled with a lot of mental health issues. One of them being her sexuality). I don't want to get too into detail as of right now since it's a LOT of dark stuff to take in but I just want to know if I'm not alone in this. I've been with her for 11 years now. Just want to know if there's anyone else like me.

My bride is on the phone with her sister. My SIL is the youngest of 4 kids.  

SIL is in tears and just came out to my bride that she is lesbian and leaving her DH for a GF.  Their eldest finishes HS in a couple of months and they are waiting to tell the kids about the divorce after his graduation.  I called this more than a decade ago. DW agreed but SIL was hell bent on not being gay. She is trying to deflect with the stance that she has always known she was bisexual.

STalkers,

I have long shared how much of a Unicorn my SParent life, marriage, and my SKid are.  Though foundationally nothing has changed, we have had some setbacks related to our son.  My former SS-32 (approaching 33) who I have raised as my own since his mom and I married a week before he turned 2yo.  He asked me to adopt him when he was 22.  We made that happen.

Earlier this month he reached his 14th service anniversary in the military and is now less than 6yrs from qualifying for full retirement.

How do you guys do it?! I try to not let what HCBM says and spreads about me to others get to me, but it only lasts a few minutes and I'm back to wanting to beat her into shutting her mouth! Am I really supposed to just ignore it? I just feel like some people need taught a lesson. I really want to put hands on her (she actually assaulted me the first time we met almost five years ago) but I'm not going to do that because we're currently going through court and obviously that won't help our case. I hate that she has so much power over my emotions.