I'm sure this has been asked before but here I go anyway.

DH buys SD gifts/presents in excess of $20.00 almost once a week. The child has more toys than Toys R' Us. Then HIDES the receipts/boxes/tags from me. We have had a discussion about this NUMEROUS times. I tell him gifts are only for holidays and birthdays and maybe small treats for when she is REALLY good (which is hardly ever).

Do any of your SO's play this game with you? Whats the most extravagant gift your SO bought SK(s) just because?

So I have found some more time to fill in some of the blanks I left in my first post about SD & DH.

If you are 30 or older, you will think this is hilarious!!!!

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were. When they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning.... Uphill... Barefoot... BOTH ways Yadda, yadda, yadda

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on my kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!

SS10 whines all the time! He knows the drill after school...homework is done right away! Although every day he comes home and whines about doing homework and needing to get his assignment notebook out of his bookbag so I can check it. He whines any time he is asked to do something around the house, such as take the garbage out...let his dog out and in...vacuum his room...pick up after himself, etc.

So I am now a new member of StepTalk.org...what am I getting myself into?

I never thought that one day I would be writing a blog entry on being a stepparent, let alone ever writing a blog entry online, but I guess some things are just meant to happen.

My life story is nothing wonderful to write about, so I will leave out the boring details and give a "Reader's Digest" version of the last five years of my life.

Hello all! I have been lurking around ST for what seems like an eternity now. I created a login quite a while ago but never used it, couldn't tell you why. I have an SD4 stb 5 who literally drives me insane (literally I'm on the brink of a psychological meltdown!). I am 22, newly married (Oct 17 09) and have been with DH for the last 2 years. We met in college 3 years ago and shortly after his split from BM began to 'hang out' as friends, which obviously developed into more. BM is tame for the most part, although severely mental.

SO I need to know is it bad of me that it gets to me when my hd is always saying that SD8 is a daddys girl?? And that she know it and thinks that when HD is home she can do what ever the hell she want. But so dose SD7 . And it seem that all SD8 dose is cry like she is one. And that it bothers me that when we do get pg it will be his 3 rd child and that I think he won't care abouT our baby the way he dose mySD .

I've been very active here lately, and am realizing most of us in the stepmom role deal with crazy BMs.

Just curious? How many of those BMs also come from homes with divorce when they were younger? Does the cycle really repeat itself?

If so, how can we ever be expected to have a lasting affect on our skids? How do we break that cycle?

I'm interested in your stories and thoughts on this...

Tried this over the weekend and it worked. SS10 was told that he must use good manners, utensils, napkins, the whole nine yards WITHOUT being reminded - OR - no dessert! Imagine everyone's surprise when he ate like the perfect little gentleman. DH agreed to this, I had the pleasure of announcing it to the little darling and now DH finally understands the power of consequences. Woo hoo!

I have two SD's one is college age and the other is a college grad.
I have a problem because they feel like they are entitled to live in our house rent-free. I feel that they are old enough to at least help out financially but they won't.
College age is 20 and not working or works part-time when she gets called in to work. She goes to college full time and helps out at home once in awhile, if she feels like it. She also brings her 25 year old BF home and sleeps with him in her bedroom. We pay everything for her, cell phone, car insurance, groceries, etc.