I keep thinking about the poor man who is shacked up with the BM. She has been such a disappointment in the last few weeks, that I can imagine she is putting him through a worse hell that she has put us, but he doesn't seem to be complaining. Not that I talk to him or anything, but the skids seem to be so happy with him and like him so much that it is scary. They used to be nice to me and like me too, AND they have ALWAYS been happy to come to our house, contrary to what SS8 has been saying, but if they (BM, SS8 and SS4) are "com plotting" saying that I hit them, what will they do when they get mad at BM's boyfriend? Are they going to accuse him of molesting them sexually because he walked into the bathroom when they were showering? Are they going to say that he has threaten them with knives? Are they going to say that he took them to Mars in a UFO? Where does this end?

I am literally scared of being around SS8 now (not that I get to see him), but keep thinking about what he's going to be like IF he gets away with these lies. He will come to our house and manipulate us. We won't be allowed to talk to him, look at him, breathe around him or anything else because he can accuse us of anything and apparently everyone believes it. And what would happen if I had any kids of my own? Would they be also under investigation with CPS because of his lies?

I'm just weighing my options and trying to figure out if perhaps the best option is to leave. I love DH but I'm sick and tired of this crap. And I wonder, why is it not like this for BM's bf? Is it she that is making up all the lies and coaching the kids to say them? It seems to me like she's doing this to spite me. I worked with her for over a year, we were friends, she trusted me and handed me her children with all the confidence in the world. What changed all of the sudden? I am still the same person. I'm so kind that have offered to throw SS8 a birthday party EVEN THOUGH I'm not allowed to be there. I really miss these kids and I'm trying to understand what is happening. I just can't get over the fact that they're lying so much, and the only explanation I find is BM.

But why did she pretend to be my friend all this time if she was going to turn around and stab me in the back? I wish I had been prepared. I wished she had been awful since the beginning so that I could be prepared for anything. I just cannot believe that this is the same nice, sweet woman that gave me a job, bough us a wedding present and trusted her children with me. I can't wrap my head around this.

If there is any stepfather out there, please tell me how you do it so that it works so much better than it works for us stepmothers. I'd like some advice from a man's perspective.