New To Forums, but NEED HELP!
Sorry so long, but I am DESPERATE
To begin, I am a 31 year old mother of an amazing nine year old. I am also in an eight year relationship with a man that is my heart and soul. We are expecting a baby in May. He is older than me by many years, but to be clear, he is not rich and that is not why I am with him. My son't biological donor taught me so much about what i wanted in a man. He has never even asked if I had a boy or girl and has no monetary or other responsibilities when it comes to my child. That is fine with me. He had a drug problem and I would rather protect my son from the hurt and disappointment and selfishly, I don't have to share my time with my little man. He did teach me that age and maturity made it hard for me as a twenty something year old single mom to meet someone who shared my life goals around my age. Enter my OH who has raised my son like his own since my son was a little over a year old.
Now the other side of the store. My OH is older and has older children. We did not start hanging out or dating until after he was divorced. (please keep in mind it has been 8 years now). His son and I get along relatively well. He has always been respectful to me and to my son/. He is naturally quiet and is very relaxed and go with the flow. If anything, he and his father's relationship is stronger than before the divorce. They make time to spend together and see each other almost every day a week. His daughter is a different story. In the beginning she was 14 years old and would not come into the house if I was there and has never even spoken a hello to me. She and her father have almost NO relationship because she will not address him. Even at his father's funeral last year, she would not look him in the face or acknowledge his existence. That is until right around Christmas time and right around his birthday when she has annually sent him texts saying she wants to fix things and then backs out saying that with me being in the picture at all she can't do it. he has ruined her life etc. She has vandalized my car, sent me nasty texts, called me a bitch in front of my son when she did come over to get her Christmas gift... They have tried counselling.. He says that at this point, he doesn't see her ever getting over this and building a relationship with him.
My heart is broken for him. Family is the most important thing to me and i have begged him to continue to reach out even if he is hurt and to see if they can build a relationship separate of me and my son because I cannot imagine.. My OH told her that we were expecting a baby and she replied with venom and I asked him to take a few days to let her soak the news in. She won't respond to him and now that I am six months pregnant, she has text her dad to say that she wants a relationship with her sister, but cannot stomach to have to deal with me or my son. I can tell you my thoughts on this, but I don't want to regret my response so PLEASE HELP ME and let me know your thoughts. I feel like i ma going crazy. The only thing i have ever asked for is respect for my son and I...
Thank you.. It is hard for me
Thank you.. It is hard for me to not want to FIX and now my main concern is what kind of relationship my May baby should/will have with adult SD.. If she isn't able to be respectful to me how can she have a relationship with my daughter?
If she isn't able to be
If she isn't able to be respectful to me how can she have a relationship with my daughter?
She can't. She doesn't have to be best friends with you, but if she can't be grown up enough to respect you as her dad's wife and respect you as her sibling's mother, she should not be around your child.
That would be putting your child in the middle of something negative and unhealthy.
Thank you all. I know that
Thank you all. I know that this is all common sense stuff, but I just needed to hear it from someone else!! (Plus my hormones are everywhere HA HA)
I am so thankful that my son was able to come into this relationship with open arms and is able to receive the love that is offered to him.. I would hate to see my son act like this and to know that he is the one missing out!!
"i have begged him to
"i have begged him to continue to reach out even if he is hurt and to see if they can build a relationship.."
It takes 2 to build a relationship and your SD is not taking the bait. She wants daddy to chase after her and for you to disappear. Short of this there is nothing you or DH can do to make her reconcile with him. She's still lashing out and acting like a hurt teenager, this is something she will have to work out and come to terms with and that may never happen. Please accept that you cannot fix the broken relationship between sd and dh.
Concerning a relationship with your daughter; NO, do not let toxic people who hate you have any influence on your children. Nothing good will come of it. As of now she is jealous and hateful, who knows what she may do to your child. If she decides to grow up and act civil towards you and DH, then maybe, but always supervised.
Just wanted to update and say
Just wanted to update and say that DH text her back and explained the rules (after she ignored his calls) as far as respect for me was mandatory.. She is now ignoring him completely.. I guess I should have remembered as mentioned in my previous post that his birthday is Friday so nothing serious was going to come of this.. I know that I am allowing myself to continually get upset but MAN I can't imagine someone being so selfish and hateful and never growing up! Silly me!!
Meanwhile, his son has been arrested for drunk and disorderly and used a fake id with the police and now I am seeing how his fear of losing any relationship with his children affects his parenting.. or lack thereof... Has someone with experience seen where the "friendship/lenient" parenting style is only with the kids from the divorce and how that plays out with our child? I do not believe in lack of discipline and although I am the main disciplinarian and he steps up to the plate with my son (only 9 years old) I am scared of when the kids are older and the behavior is something like getting arrested (the arrested is bad enough, but I am FURIOUS about the fake ID and really all of the situation) or being like daughter with no thought of others..
I know that at one time he was more disciplined as a father and held his kids to acceptable standards and that they are adults now (but not really.. paying child support til each is 25 to help them through college even though living with BM)..