Dear Valued Users,
It's with a heavy heart that we announce the permanent closure of StepTalk.org on August 31st, 2025.
This decision wasn't an easy one. For over twenty years, StepTalk has been a source of support for stepparents around the world! However, over the years, the costs associated with maintaining and upgrading the site to remain secure, meet current standards and maintain availability have become unsustainable.
We are incredibly grateful for your support, contributions and the community you've helped us build. Your engagement has made StepTalk.org a special place and we cherish the memories and connections made here.
We would especially like to thank Aniki for volunteering to be a moderator and for caring so much.
Thank you for being a part of our journey and we wish you all the best.
Sincerely,
Dawn and The StepTalk Team
WHAT?! Wow. Did you say
WHAT?! Wow. Did you say anything to your DH?
Nope! Pretty soon SD wil lbe
Nope! Pretty soon SD wil lbe telling people it's "her" dog.
Your DH better call your SD
Your DH better call your SD back and explain that he will be happy to show her YOUR new puppy. He won't do that, I am sure. So, guess what, when you do see her, YOU nicely tell her the real deal. Don't take the pup to the cheerleading practice. This is a huge boundary issue for me. My skids are adults and believe that my home with DH is their home. Um....no.
yeah, i got a puppy this past
yeah, i got a puppy this past fall and mil, dh and ss thought my puppy would be sleeping with ss, etc... i put the skids on that. puppy sleeps in her kennel. ha! puppy isn't so little anymore and ss wants nothing to do with her. he saw first hand when he was here that puppy is MINE. i make the rules. i love echo's response. hurry and put the skids to it!
DH and I have 3 dogs and 3
DH and I have 3 dogs and 3 cats. The skids ADORE all of them. They play with them, help feed/water them, help give them baths, etc. They can't walk the dogs because the dogs will likely drag them around
They weren't involved in any of the process or decision to actually get these pets .. but when they're at our home, they do feel like they are their pets too. I don't have an issue with this, because we use it as an opportunity for them to learn how to care for the animals and be responsible. They are receptive to this and learn from it .. if this weren't the case, I would feel completely different about it.
The skids have asked if we can get some chickens and rabbits too. We're considering it, but they will be outdoor pets.
Same thing happened with my
Same thing happened with my cat. I PAID his adoption fee, I PAID for his supplies, I am the contact on his microchip...but SD ran around saying "my kitty, my kitten, blah blah". I told her right quick - "sorry, kiddo, he's no one's responsibility but MINE". She got all bent saying her dogs at home are "family" dogs, not one person's or the other's. I said "go home to your FAMILY dogs then"
That's pretty strange because
That's pretty strange because even if he thought of it as a family cat he would say "our kitty" not "your". Especially since I assume you paid pretty good bucks to get this dog. I wish you had adopted a rescue dog instead of supporting breeders puppy mills. Check out how these mother dogs are used until they drop at these puppy mills: http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-puppy-mills
This kid is a weekender right? Make ownership clear to Daddy and have him make ownership clear to his kid but ask her if she would like to help care for the dog when visiting and of course she can play with the dog any time she likes. Take it for walks if she responsible enough. etc
That's how you teach her to share.
OCC - who are you responding
OCC - who are you responding to here? Your post confused me a bit.
His hat. He is talking to his
His hat. He is talking to his hat.
LOL - I just couldn't make
LOL - I just couldn't make heads or tails of it, you know? PUN INTENDED
HA, that's punny.
HA, that's punny.
Double double
Double double
Ummm...no. He needs to be
Ummm...no. He needs to be corrected and the dog needs to go nowhere. What is it with these stupid guys???? I have a dog and a cat and they cannot stand skid. They run and hide in the bedroom before I do when skid gets here. They sense evil I suppose. They are in NO way his pet and if DH tried to force him on them I would flip. They are my babies.
My DH bought me a horse a few
My DH bought me a horse a few years ago. Really awesome. He is completely uninterested in horses except for the occasional quick trail ride or giving them a treat or two every few months. My Skids refer to MY horse as "Dad's horse." It makes me freaking crazy....like insane crazy. The SD thought she was going to ride him when she visits and I have but only once taken her to the farm he lives and never ever let her on him. He is mine and I am weird enough when someone rides him that I might not recover if the greedy little ungrateful SD got on him. I might be selfish but those Skids have taken so much from me I just can't let them around "Dad's horse"