I try really hard to bite my tongue and not react to anything my Skids biodad says or does to keep the situation amblicable. I try to put myself in his shoes but sometimes it gets so frustrating. Yesterday I took the boys SS4 and SS5 to have dinner with their dad. He has 50% custody but due to his choice only has them about 4 nights a month and an occasional dinner. I just feel like it is non-stop criticism from him about little things with the kids. Haircut not being short enough, mismatched socks on the 4 year old (he is dressing himself and wanted to wear one blue sock and one white sock to match his shirt)too much playing on the itouch. I am assuming that this critism stems from his feeling sadness about not being in the boys day to day life, but I am starting to boil over. It is his choice to move an hour away, it is his choice to race bikes on the weekends he is home instead of seeing his kids. It is not his choice to work out of town and that sucks but I hate how angry his cricisms are making me.

I feel bad complaining because I have it so much easier than a lot of step parents on this site but I have a feeling that I am going to explode at him one of these days. I guess that is why I am venting here. I am probably also pissed that he doesn't contribute at all finacially. My partner is so easy going and things just roll right over her that she doesn't get upset by these things, but I am to one who does the exchanges and has to listen to him whine.