Am I wrong?
New to this so here goes....DH and I have been married a year. I have 3 skids, SS16, SD16 (twins) and SS15. It has not been an easy transition for DH and I or skids and I. I expect hellos, good-byes and help cleaning after dinner. Terrible. I am usually the last to know what is going on, though DH is working on that. BM is erratic, abrasive and demanding. DH usually gives in to keep the peace - drives me crazy.
So skids former nanny was in town and staying with us these past days. SD drove them over here after a trip to the mall and decided to stay for dinner (not her night, but Im okay with that). BM had suddenly asked DH to take SS15 to practice with no reason (not our night and SD16 or SS16 usually take him. DH agreed though it would interfere with last dinner with guests as well as him taking them to airport. DH got SS16 to do it. We have dinner and SD16 calls BM (anything to get out of cleaning up!). When she hung up she said BM asked her to bring leftovers to SS16 and SS15. DH immediately agreed, I shot him a look. So he asked me in front of everyone if it was okay. I said yes and kept shooting him looks. Meanwhile SD sees BM drive by our house and comments she slowed down while doing it. She said BM had girls night, but where she lives, 2 towns over. SD confirmed it was BM on phone app. I told SD to tell BM we saw her and left the room. DH put the food away and told SD there wasn't enough (there really wasn't and SD16 hates IT sausage and they'd both hate the veggie.)
I don't mind cooking and feeding the kids when they are here, I do it all the time. But when it's not our day and she's being a lazy BM so she can drink wine with her friends? BM takes advantage of DH all the time. But I'm not going to let it happen to me. As I pointed out to DH they usually have plenty of food in the house, and worse case SD16 drives to pick something up.
And why the hell was she driving by our house?!
DH got back from the airport, he didn't say anything so I brought it up. He said he wanted to feed his hungry kids and had nothing to say about BM drive by, except that he can't control it. (I know that, he can't). Now we're not talking.
Am I wrong about all this? It just feels like too much and surreal.
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Comments
You need to pick your battles
You need to pick your battles.
What is most important to you? That the skids help clean up? That they interact with you? That you know the schedule? That DH clear things with you in private before giving the okay to the skids?
In his mind he's doing things for his Children, not for BM. The why and whatnot doesn't matter, if BM gets a night off because of it, oh well that's nothing to him. He's spending time with his kids.
DH is very much like this and BM took total advantage of him. It made me crazy. I had to give him boundries and let him know what was important to me. I also had to let go of a lot of the stuff that BM did and still does. She is going to do what she does no matter what you do. Sometimes she'll do things just to spite you.
Learn to let it go, or come here to vent and complain but don't keep bringing it up with DH unless it crosses a line.
Now BM driving by your house is one of the things I'd say something about. I would make a big deal out of it but I'd mention that it sounds like her life is a country song and wonder why she's resorting to driving by your house. Say it to DH, not to the skids. Never say anything bad about BM in front of the skids. She's their mother and they will be protective of her. They won't see her crazy, they will see a mom who's concerned about her children and a Stepmother who's overbearing and controlling.
Thanks for the reminder to
Thanks for the reminder to let it go. I vow to let it go, then it gets to be too much. I"ll keep working on it. I didn't mind SD doing the drop in for dinner, it was casual, we had enough. I just don't think I can send food I shopped for, paid for and cooked to BM house because she couldn't plan it.
Boundaries
All the other details about SD, SS, and SS aside, regards the basic expectations of respect in your own home - that is and should be a non-issue. You are an equity life partner, and deserve to be respected in your own home. They are older, and therefore getting them accustomed to a "new order" will be a matter of repetition. Its taken me 4 years, and still have to remind SD12 I need help.
As to the other thing, that is very important to address! Establishing boundaries as soon as you can with the BM between her and your DH, is very dificult, because she is accostomed to getting her way every time without respecting others. I know this because I have also been in this situation for 4 years. Firstly, I came into things very naivly. BM and SO had just split up and were separated but not yet divorced. So we had to "keep her happy" so divorce would be easier (it wasnt). Then it was her demanding things that were promised her, like a mirror that was hanging over the fireplace mantle that I had really grown to love over 3 plus years. I said "get that thing over there, but DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES hang it for her, because she will ask you". (she did, he said get one of your studs to do it....") Then she asked to borrow his truck, to haul furniture (back in March, when tax return monies came in), then can he please come over to her apartment to measure for new furniture that was being considered for purchase.
I finally, after 4 years of this, went ballistic. Dude, you divorced this woman, you are no longer her "honey do" - er!!!!!!! I told him this:
"Tell her no when she asks, and do not give a reason" He would make up silly reasons and excuses. Drove me nuts.
So, he calls her and tells her "No, CLove doesnt want me to...shes not comfortable with it".
Her response was "fine" click.
Yes, I know that it was him throwing me under the bus a little, but it was the truth, the truth he needed to tell, to keep things nice for Munchkin. Im ok with that, because now the boundaries are CRYSTAL CLEAR, no question about them.
So I would advise that you communicate with your DH, what boundaries he must create and enforce with BM. Do it now, or you will be upset for a very loooooong time.
The thing with BM is she
The thing with BM is she often puts requests in through the kids, putting them in the crappy position of being in the middle. DH can't say no to them. I think DH needs to discuss this with BM and put an end to it.
If it affects you, you have a
If it affects you, you have a right to know and have input...and most of what happens between a married couple will affect you. I'm glad to hear your DH is working on bringing you into the loop more frequently. That was my biggest pet peeve early in our marriage (aka the last to know phenomenon).
It sounds like you have a lot of trigger points right now, so you can't pinpoint what bothers you the most or why. You're drowning in the chaos. In this situation, I recommend you disengage completely...so you can evaluate your feelings...and then reengage where you feel able to do so. This is kind of what I did. I quit doing or being there for the skids for a bit so I could get a handle on what I wanted and who I wanted to be...then I realized how and when I could be involved.
So...it's not your night to have skids and your DH allows them to come over without talking to you first? That's fine...unfortunately, you had plans to go run some errands. If he'd talked to you about it, you could have rescheduled. Then you head out the door and let him figure out dinner, entertainment, clean up, etc. What you don't do is JUMP every time DH rearranges the schedule on you. Your plans are set...if his aren't, that's not your problem to fix. It's his.
Make sense?
Yeah. And no way in heck would food that I cooked be heading over to BM's house unless it was MY idea (having said that...I have sent leftovers with the skids before, simply because it was a favorite meal of theirs and there was more than DH and I would eat on our own. Not EVER because BM demanded it of me. Please...the nerve.)
Hope this helps. Everything your DH is doing sounds totally unreasonable to me...but he's probably drowning in the chaos, too. The only way to fix it is to determine what you need and be firm. To be able to do so, you may need to take a few big steps back for a couple months...your doing so will likely help DH find his boundaries, too...once you're not picking up his slack.
Boundaries
You hit the nail! Took me too long to figure this out (with help from Steptalk!)
There is a lot of chaos. I
There is a lot of chaos. I lived by myself for 15 years. It's been an adjustment for both of us. DH carried on with skids as usual until I got his attention and reminded him that we are WE. Thanks for your input! We are getting a foster puppy on Friday. I think she'll need a lot of attention and walks.
I was like you - got married
I was like you - got married at 30 after having lived entirely on my own (and gotten several advanced degrees) since I was about 20. It's a HUGE adjustment....and I, too, often felt like DH wanted to act like we were married / a unified force when it suited him...and like he was flying solo when that suited him. I got tired of him trying to have it both ways...though I don't think he realized that's what he was doing. I think, like your DH, he was just genuinely trying to keep his own head above water and do the best he could by his kids. I don't blame him for that...but I also got tired of subsidizing it, so to speak.
I just adopted a strict "If I haven't been consulted about it, then I'm not contributing to it" philosophy, and it worked well to get him to see everything that he was putting on me and expecting of me. Since he wasn't doing the cooking, cleaning, driving, etc...it was easy for him to dismiss how much effort it is when 3 kids get dropped in your lap unexpectedly.
To his credit, he did step up and started planning better, communicating better...and also being the primary caregiver for the kids. He wasn't perfect by any means...but he really took over the reins once it was clear that I dropped them. Now, the kids are grown and gone...but if he wants to have them over for some reason, he always puts it on the calendar, checks with me...asks me if I'll cook...etc.
One last thing and then I'll STFU. I don't know if you're like me...but I genuinely like cooking, and I'm good at it. The kids loved my meals, as does DH. It was easy for me to fall into this trap of: "Oh...DH will just cook crap or let them snack or waste money taking them out...I can easily cook a good meal that keeps our budget intact and it's not such a big deal..." Etc. And then I ended up resenting it like crazy because of lack of help cleaning up, kids and DH would get up and go start a movie while I was cleaning up...lack of help setting the table...they would all sit down about 5 to 10 minutes before the meal was ready and just kind of...talk amongst themselves or look at me expectantly as I finished up. Just no home training, apparently. There's nothing more annoying to me than me slaving over a hot stove while 4 able-bodied people plop their fat, happy behinds down and wait to be served.
DH took over that as well and started giving skids prep work - you set the table, you put ice in glasses...etc. Made a world of difference and made me happy to cook again.
It sounds like things worked
It sounds like things worked out for you - I'm glad. I'm going to try your if I'm not consulted, I'm not contributing to it philosophy. He is trying, just doesn't get why it's an issue which is annoying.
I'm no Betty Crocker, but like cooking. With lots of kicking, screaming and arguing, the rule has become whoever does not cook, cleans up. SD always tries to sneak out. DH reins them in, and I used to take a walk. Think I need to start taking a walk again and stay out of it.
I don't think I would mind if
I don't think I would mind if we had had one of the SD's to dinner and her sister asked her to bring her some leftovers. like.. oooh.. bring me a piece of ESMOD's meatloaf and crispy potatoes... I love them. I would personally pack up a togo container for the kid. But if BM had demanded we send food home with the stepkid? uh.. nope. Lady I am not responsible for sending food to your house that in all likelihood would be eaten by you and your BF.
These kids are teens.. If one of the teens called a teen at your house and asked for leftovers.. fine. But not at BM's request.. that is overstepping. If he seriously thinks BM isn't buying the kids food he can give his child some money to stop by the grocery store to buy bread and cold cuts like my DH used to do for his girls.. take them shopping for groceries because MOTYBM couldn't be bothered to grocery shop.
I mean, it's not like you had an issue with them eating over on a non-visitation day.. and I personally think that's ok as long as meals are casual enough to allow for that. I do think you had a right to stop the Skid from calling mom until the table was cleared though.