I do NOT understand why the EX-wife always has to put innocent kids in the middle to start a fight. DO NOT GET ME WRONG, I LOVE THE KIDS WITH ALL OF HEART. It is not that I mind having them over to spend time with them. I just want her to do her part in all of this - BE THEIR MOTHER. Instead of pawning them off on me because she TOOOOOOO lazy to do her part and leaving them in the middle to cook up a fight between her and I.

I used to take the youngest stepdaughter places AND OUT TO EAT all of the time. Then she started acting a little ungreatful about it and expecting it all of the time. It got to the point to where she did not care if the time was spent with her or not. She has become TOO conditioned to the material things she was getting versus the meaning behind it - she did NOT care about the attention but more so the greed of material things!!!! She started to remind me of her mother - more than I could stomach.

It also bothered me to be spending all of this money on her. While the others come out empty handed - SO UNFAIR TO THE OTHER KIDS. IT MAKES ME FEEL REALLY BAD.

The youngest stepson is right she gets A LOT MORE ATTENTION THAN him. It was always like that when they were growing up. Him and his oldest sister always got what was left over. ON one occasion I SEEN his sister have an emotional meltdown from mental neglect because she was a middle child growing up. I felt bad for her and wished I could have been there for her as a mentor while growing up. But, I did not meet her dad until she was 13 by then the damage was already done!

As for their MOM dumping her/them on me/us - it has me too burned out to spend time with the youngest stepdaughter. I DON'T EVEN GET A BREAK - I HAVE MY KIDS 24/7 W/O A BREAK UNLESS I GO TO WORK. EVEN THEN THAT IS NOT MUCH OF A BREAK. I AM SAYING IT IS NOT HEALTHY PARENTING TO GO WITHOUT A BREAK. I HAVE ACCEPTED THAT FACT I AM NOT GETTING A BREAK FROM MY KIDS UNTIL THEY TURN 18. IT IS LIKE THE EX-WIFE AND HUSBAND ARE DEPENDING ON ONE KIDNEY AND I AM THE KIDNEY. EVENTUALLY I WILL BE THEIR KIDNEY FAILURE.

It has gotten to the point that I see youngest stepdaughter when I go to bed at night. Then I wake up in the morning I see her. Then I think OMG where is your mother? Then I start to become confused of what role I am supposed to be playing - mom or step-mom. This is where the excessive time STARTS affect step-parenting her. Then, it becomes wrong because I feel as though I start to take THEIR mom's place in their lives. If it were left to her I would have them almost 100% of the tIME. It is like she would rather pawn them off on me than to take any parental responsibility for them.

I wish she would just hand them over and go away until we are done raising these innocent kids. I would take them and treat them like they were my own. But, I can't because it would just cause MORE confusion. They would grow to hate me because their mother would poison them against me more than what they already does. She does not deserve them because she sucks as a mother!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I feel sorry for them that they have to be put in the middle. To have a mom who is TOO caught up in herself to pay attention her kids.

(08/2008)