Hi there a bit of background first, Me and my husband have been married for 6 years we have 3 children together we also have his 3 children living with us full time aged 12, 9, and 8 they used to see their biological mum once a fortnight for about 4/5 hours as we live a fair distance away and we used to take them and go visit family then covid hit and they have seen her about 3 times in a year but they do video call every saturday. They all call me mummy through choice we have always told them the truth i have brought up the 8 year old since day 1 and obviously the 9 year old was only a year old. The mum doesnt want them to live with her. My issue started before covid and has been going on for years but seems worse because of lockdown the step kids wait till i leave the room to ask their dad a question, i can be sat in the room on my own with them for a good hour and not a word is said i leave the room and every one of them start talking or asking questions of my husband. If they are playing in the conservetory they wait till i leave the front room to come out and ask something, they see me coming and head back out again. If i speak to any of them or ask them a question its always the same answer of "i dont know" or "i should have". They dont come and ask for help with their school work if they need it even though am supposed to be hometeaching them, i see that they have questions wrong and try to show them where they have gone wrong and they cry at me or dont speak.

I used to do the discipline but now my husband does, i have always treatesd them the same as my own which are only 4, 3 and 18 months anyway, i do anything and everything for them but hurt so much by the way they are treating me, ive tried to show it doesnt bother me but its still carried on.

Any advise on how to deal with this would be helpful please many thanks