I stayed with DH thru out a LOT of BM drama and in-law drama for quite a few years. I will admit that at first, the reason I stayed was because I felt I already had way too much invested to just walk away.
I also felt that after building my DH into the man he is now, (which I take FULL credit for) I was not trying to let any other bitch on Earth have him.
I am glad I held on because I adore my husband with every fiber of my being. He is an amazing man, a wonderful human being, a beautiful soul and a great dad and step dad and step grandpa. I would't want to be with anyone else but him.

My Skids, whilst NOT the most perfect kids by any means, are not anywhere near as bad as some of the Skids I have read about here. In almost 15 years I have NEVER had a Skid curse at me or be outright disrespectful to my face. Have they said mean things maybe to other people about me? Sure, but my own kids have done shit like that.

So yes, I am glad that I stuck out the hard times because they were pretty awful while we were going thru them but we are really happy at this moment and I'm glad I didn't bail at the first sign of trouble.

No, I wouldn't put up with the level of drama we often read about on the site. Even with the bumps that I sometimes have with my husband, I still have limits. I love him beyond reason. But that doesn't mean that, should he ever choose his children before me, I wouldn't walk away. Our relationship has to come first, or I can't be a part of that relationship. It means occasionally compromising on my part and on his as we work through issues that occur, but so long as we are both working together it is worth it.

I already had a marriage where I lost myself, and I won't do that again. My happiness is the most important, because if I'm not happy then how can I make others happy? My husband's happiness is the most important for him. When he is happy, he can do things to make me happy. I suppose the key is, our mutual desire for the other to be happy. Emphasis on mutual.

For me it's only been a crazy BM to deal with, my DH is a great man. DH is loving in his own special way, hard working to the core, funny, my best friend and the one person I truly trust everything I have with. I am not a religious person, but I believe God has funny ways of putting us where we are suppose to be. My first marriage didn't work and neither did DH's. So God chose us to be together to help fix what was broken.

I have also been placed in DH's life to help him raise my skids because their mother is so screwed up that she isn't fit to be a mom at this time.

What doesn't kill us makes us stronger....right?!?!?

This is exactly why I took my DD and moved out. I was done putting up with all of the Disney dad crap and all of BM's drama. It has finally made my husband realize that I don't need him for anything, and he has finally started to change his ways.

If we move back in together at some point and things go back to how they were before, I'm not afraid to leave for good. He's not worth making myself miserable for. And it's not worth the effect it could have on my DD.

I am right there with ya, zero.

I have never wanted kids, so I most certainly was not going to put up with a bunch of nonsense from somebody else's brat. Luckily, SD was not a brat. The rare times she pushed it, she was pushed right back into her place by DH. But, he was not afraid to parent her, so that made a big difference.

Our relationship came first and I always knew it and felt it.

DH swore he would never let BM use SD to manipulate him and he stuck to that. He loves his daughter and they were very close at one time; he knew BM would try to use that to her advantage.

Yes, there was drama on BM's part but it never came between us. Well, in the very beginning it did (when we were first dating), but he figured out pretty quick that I was not putting up with her bullshit and if he wanted to put up with it, he could do it alone.

And just in case, I refused to move out of my low rent apartment for the first five years (he moved in with me). After those five years, we bought a house but in MY name only and only at a price that I knew I could afford on my own, if need be.

We've been together eighteen years, haven't had anything to do with BM for five, and SD23, well, she's become a lot like BM so as much as DH loves her (SD, that is), he doesn't trust her, which suits me fine.

I'd be going crazy if DP didn't show lots of signs and willingness to improve.
Both with his girls and with me.

He's a considerate, kind and thoughtful man and his kindness over-rides his will to demand respect from the SDs. And he knows it. I tell him he's too soft on them.

If he wasn't such a great guy and supportive of me in every way - YES even in my frustration with the SDs and his attitude and my attitude I wouldn't be with him. My ex was the exact opposite, controlling, angry, drinker, frustrated and never around. So I learned the hard way how to have a good relationship and what I wanted.

Even though I have frustration with the SDs, I know it will improve because it has. It may be in little bits and pieces, but it is better. It's nice to know we have each others back even if it may be clawed sometimes by one of the SDs.