Help please
It's been over 8 years dealing with my stepdaughter. She's approaching 12 and my god it's getting worse by the day with her.
I can honestly say I treat her as my own child, always have and always will. Now, she is unbelievably disrespectful. It's obviously learned behavior with so much evidence that it is. Her mother allows and knows she gives attitude, disrespects her father, and treats him like shit.
I personally hate that I communicate with her but I do her upon my husbands request. It's been healthier for him since it's been done. I always tried to be mutual but now I see what my husband went through. I know it's overstepping boundaries but this is something he wanted done.
now, it's just getting worse and my step daughter literally is giving me attitude and stating it to her mom. I deal as much as I could. But once the line crosses then I say something firmly.
what would you guys do?!?!
should I just start being petty and give her the same energy? I'm too nice for this and just can't do it. But how much can a human take of this?! I feel bad for my husband but good riddance it's getting out of hand and so hurtful.
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Comments
Not good
For your husband to offload the parenting interactions with the BM and SD onto you because "it is easier for him" (TM)
To be blunt, you weren't there with them in the bedroom , alleyway or backseat of the car when those two were spawning SD but you now are expected to be secretary, maid, cook, laundress, uber lift driver, hostage negotiator and bed buddy? Not to mention financial backer of the failed first family.
Very common but these men want SM to do the heavy lifting which is unreasonable at best and unethical as well as totally unfair to SM at worst. You have 100%responsibility and most likely 0% authority.
Please look into disengaging and shift the weight back onto your husband's shoulders as he is the actual parent. And yes the high conflict, golden uterus, jealous, juvenile BM will teach SD to hate and disrespect both of you. Sadly that is what happens most of the time .
REmember: you do not have to
REmember: you do not have to let them treat you poorly. hand the load back to the parent.
Look.. 12 year old girls..
Look.. 12 year old girls.. teen girls.. can be the worst attitudes.. BUT.. they also can learn that a poor attitude means you get to live with those consequences.
When she is sour.. send her to her room.. "you can be in a bad mood.. but you won't inflict it on the rest of the household.. you can come out when you decide to act respectfully to everyone".
And.. YES! it is "easier" for your husband? well.. why does it have to be harder on YOU??? He made the baby with her.. he can deal with her. If BM is high conflict.. let him deal with her..
You are letting DH
Have it easy taking on his responsibilities as a father. Stop it, it's his kid ... He must teach her respect. You are not her mother, you will never be her mother. Get that fantasy out of your head. Your just her BF BFF. He made her. Now he should parent her.
As a person who has no legal responsibility to SD. [ If something happens to DH, you will never see SD again ]. She must show you respect for what you are doing for her. Or she can stay with BM.
Disengage. Block BM on all
Disengage. Block BM on all platforms. You have to protect your peace. DH needs to learn how to co-parent with BM and not pawn it off on you. His kids are HIS responsibility, plain and simple.
My SD13 sounds the exact same. Known her for 8+ years and the only way I can "deal" with the attitude is to disengage all together.
What should you do?
What should you do?
Step back and place all responsibility firmly where it belongs - on your husband's shoulders. Your SD is being told that you are not her mother and that she doesn't have to listen to you.
Your husband needs to get a grip and deal with this mess.
My answer
Disengage. Have husband interact and learn how to co parent or at least parallelparent. AND you need to hardline on the attitude towards you and provide consequeces. This is YOUR home and 12 yo Sd needs to understand that and understand that she will be held to standards of behavior or else!
Thanks
Yes, I help guide. It's only been recent since I started navigating. They argue over everything. Everything is a competition to her and she allows the disrespect. It's reassuring knowing I can start setting boundaries of respect in the home.
it's a one way battle when she gets approval to get away with the negative being done on our end.
Tolerate no lippy kid
Tolerate no lippy kid bullshit. Bring the pain and escalating abject misery. Take her electronics the second she arrives and give her zero access until she leaves. If she keeps escalating her shit behaviors, take her bed, take her door, take her makeup, take her favorite clothes, put her in baggy sweats, etc...
Keep escalating the misery until she pulls her head out of her ass. As for BM, tolerate no shit from her either. Do what you can to keep her under the slime covered rock at the bottom of her shallow and polluted gene pool where she belongs. And... stop compensating for your DH's lack of balls and force him to man up. Stop being his beard.
Sadly, far too many SM's are their failed family partners beard and bring "testicular" fortitude to the relationship that their male mate tragically lacks.
Best response
Only if a step parent can do that! lol I want to so bad. But I might consider it at this point. I'm the blame for everything so I might as well start doing it. Her father is super sensitive and I get a lot of dads just don't have that meanness to them or them being too strict. I've witnessed way to many. He's such a gem, I can't explain the type of father he is. He is such an amazing father with our child together. Just super sad,
Setting and enforcing
Setting and enforcing standards is not mean.
That he can effectively parent and partner in raising your child makes his abject failure with your Skid even more baffling.