Saving our relationship
The past year for me has been insane. This time last year I was a single college student. Now I'm a mom of an 8-week old son (whom of course I adore) & living with his Dad and his BD4.
The BM is a weapon. She says she isn't able to look after her daughter. She lives 15mins down the road, is single, no other kids, and has a spare bedroom for her BD. However, SD4 is coming to live with us full time because of her mom's supposed health issues.
My pregnancy was so INCREDIBLY stressful because of all the shit she caused. We were basically dumped with the SD4 throughout. My BF refuses to say a bad word about BM because he wants the SD4 full time. We have a small place with two bedrooms - ours and a TINY box room - which now my son (8 weeks!!!) and SD4 are going to share. My BF wants us all to be a happy family but I feel like he's forcing a round peg into s square hole because we have no space for her physically and because, like many other posters here, I have no feelings of love for the SD4 and have to force myself to even tolerate her.
My silent 'sucking it up' is horrible.... and anytime I say how I feel my BF says he understands but it basically causes a screaming row. Pregnancy hormones while dealing with all this made it very intense... I was suicidal at times... but now that my son is born I just feel a calm sadness. Is it possible for this shit to ever work?!
SD4 by the way has very little English... her parents spoke two different languages to her when they lived together, neither of which were English. It did not help mine & her bonding that we have barely any of the same language, and my BF continued to speak to her in a language I don't understand -- it's only now that he's starting to speak English to her in my presence. I fucking hate the whole story.
For past 3 weeks SD4 has been away with my BF's parents... because when he works there's no one to mind her, as I'm looking after our newborn...meanwhile we are both sleep deprived, meanwhile I'm struggling to create a new life for myself as a college student who's just gone through an unexpected pregnancy - I became pregnant two months after we met.
To put it short, I love my BF and of course our baby son, and would do almost anything to keep us a family, but basically hate the SD4, resent that she is with us full time, and think she should be with her mom, not sharing a room with our baby. Meanwhile my BF wants her full time.
I should add that their mediation process is only beginning now - and BF is going to ask for full custody.
Please help me. I dont want to create another broken family. But can't bear life with SD4 around.
Hon simply get your own
Hon simply get your own place....
"I fucking hate the whole
"I fucking hate the whole story. "
Then why live it? Having a child does not mean you have to move in and play house with the child's father. Your baby is no more entitled to that father and his resources than his four year old daughter is. The bedroom is as much hers as it is your son's. See, that's just the way things work...Dad doesn't get to just toss out his old kid because she cramps your style and wish her away.
He loves that daughter every bit as much as you love your son. He loves his son now too. He's going to fight to keep both children in his life, and yes, he's going to teach both kids his language and his culture.
You're not married. You don't have to live together. You don't have to care for the four year old, in fact even though she's your son's sister, you don't have to ever see this little girl. As Acra stated above, just move out. Do the court thing working through custody and a parenting plan between your boyfriend and you for the baby, get your own apartment and hopefully go back to school so you can help raise and support your son.
The little girl isn't going to poof nor is she going to go away just to accommodate your new son. Nope. If you're unhappy in the situation you created, you get yourself out of it and resign yourself to raising your son in two different households with shared parenting time with his father.
You're only 'stuck' and miserable as long as you choose to be. When you selected a man with a previous child, you gave up the chance to have whatever little family of three dreams you had cooked up in your head for your child and yourself. Children aren't disposable. It's 2017, children aren't shipped off to be taken care of solely by their mother until the new girl friend deems it ok and tolerable to occasionally visit their father.
Seems you choose to live in a bubble and now reality of life with a man of an already previous child who is just currently making his way through court to break off and settle affairs with his ex sets in.
Plus the child will grow up
Plus the child will grow up to be bilingual if OP speaks to him in English and biodad in his language. Bonus.
A four year old is just a
A four year old is just a baby herself--you didn't say anything other than she encroaches on your space and doesn't speak english, and that sets you off. You need to learn to separate the child and your situation. Going into this, we're all aware that one day BM may dump a child (maybe damaged, maybe not) onto us and that's the possible consequences of being with someone who already has a child. I highly suggest counseling. My older daughter who is almost 4 is sharing a room with her younger sister who is a few months old and has been since she was born. I did when I was a kid. He'll live.
My bride was a single teen
My bride was a single teen mom and High School student when SS-25 was born. She was a single teen mom college student when we met when SS was 15mos old.
If BF and this situation is that toxic then protect yourself and your baby boy from the toxic crap and strike out on your own. My very accomplished former single teen mom bride is a firm believer that if she can do it.... anyone can. She went on to graduate HS with her class and with honors with a 1yo on her hip as she walked at graduation, she went on to a dual major BS (Mgt/Acctg) with honors, an MBA with honors and to a successful career as a CPA. Granted we were married at the end of her freshman year of college but she did all of the work and then some.
BM may be a "weapon" as you call her but this situation is at least half created by your BF. Do you want him raising your son the same way he has raised his daughter? If not then you have two choices. 1.0 Take complete control and mandate how the entire situation will be addressed and manage everyone and everything to that goal. or ... 2.0 Move on and minimize the influence this shallow and polluted gene pool situation has on you and your child.
Option 1.0 can work and turn our happily. However, for that to happen you and FDH must be fully aligned, make each other and your relationship the unequivocal priority over everyone and everything including an kids in the mix and you both must be equity parents to any children in the home regardless of kid biology. Kids are the top relationship responsibility but never take priority over the relationship and the partners. Option 1.0 is a full time job and can never be ignored. Minimizing the impact of a toxic blended family opposition and minimizing the tendency for a prior breeder partner to lose the plot and go Disney Parent toward their prior relationship spawn is a real thing and has to be done to preserve the sanctity of the relationship and protect the interests of subsequent relationship progeny.
As for the BM/weapon... How do you defeat a weapon? ... You design and forge a better one and learn how to master its use so that when the opposition confronts you with their weapon the fight is over brutally and quickly in your favor.
As a college student you should be an accomplished researcher and analyst. So research and analyze and learn the legal system and all of the associated tools better than the BM and better than your own baby daddy. Be ready to add that knowledge to your quiver of weapons ready for use if needed. Never stop honing your knowledge and skills in managing BM and the situation to best be able to protect your own interests and family and tolerate no crap from anyone in the mix... including your own partner.
Congrats on the new baby. Good luck. Take care of you and the baby boy.
And.... stick to your studies, finish your degree, and prepare yourself for self sufficiency in the event this whole thing goes South on you.
Thank you very much for your
Thank you very much for your advice! Thought-provoking, empowering and encouraging. Much appreciated.
One question, if I may: regarding choice 1.0, "Take complete control and mandate how the entire situation will be addressed and manage everyone and everything to that goal," doesn't this depend on how much co-control BF gives me in decision-making regarding his daughter's life? Himself and BM are using the excuse that they have erratic work schedules to refrain from deciding any kind of schedule with SD4. So she goes between houses with no regularity or rhythm, and often not even 24hrs advance notice. Last year it was 3 days here, 1 day there, 1 day there, 2 days here - mental stuff. With upcoming mediation I am hoping that this will be addressed - though since Christmas, BM hasn't taken her for more than three days due to her health issues, real but not meriting not taking responsibility for her daughter.
BF wants to "count [BM] out of the equation" and take SD4 for himself.... and she may well acquiesce to this, 'temporarily,' I am betting. But I have no say in the craziness that they call their best efforts.
BF is so guilt-tripped and paranoid over his daughter, who by now is exhibiting signs of distress at being thrown between two houses with no warning, that he loses all logic when I try to engage him in organisational matters.
It's a mess for which thus far I have given him every benefit of the doubt - but I'm still waiting for him to man up and clean it up - for all our sakes, most of all his innocent daughter.
On the surface it certainly
On the surface it certainly might appear that your BF will have to grant you co-control. I find that in fact it is easier to take that control rather than wait for it to be "granted". If you are to be equity life partners then there is no granting of anything between the two of you. It is an uncontestable fact IMHO.
The area where my bride and I had a few disconnects related to 1.0 over the years is in kid parenting and discipline. I am not one to tolerate inaction in parenting or disciplining inappropriate kid behavior so my philosophy has always been that if DW did not like how I parented and disciplined then she could step up and get it done before I had to do it. If she refused then she could bite her tongue and have my back until we could discuss it off line and in private. The same applied to me if I did not feel she was being effective in parenting and discipline. I had her back and we took any related discussions off line. To the Skid we presented a unified front. To the SpermClan we represented an omnipotent inopposable force that they either complied with or suffered.
The key is the equity partnership that makes you and SO equity parents to any children in the home regardless of kid biology.
Mediation is rarely effective from what I have seen and even more rarely is it the final step. I suggest that you and SO sit down and clearly define what you will demand out of mediation and if BM does not get on board.... accelerate through mediation and go more directly to court. The court is where the decisions are made and nothing is decided until a Judge puts their signature on a Court Order.
SO needs to immediately gain clarity that his X is not his concern in any way, shape, or form. His concern is his relationship with you, the son you share, and his prior relationship derived daughter. If BM is incapable of stepping up and parenting and working with your SO reasonably then she is just another obstacle to confront and remove as effectively as possible.
Really Brick? He trapped
Really Brick? :? :jawdrop:
He trapped her by getting her pregnant after only two months in order to get a live in and locked up knocked up baby sitter to care for his prior relationship breeding mistake.
See how the opposite view shows up?
Funny how that works isn't it?
Time to apply the perspective of reasonableness I think.
She came here to access the experiences of others and likely not to get hammered for getting pregnant. Keep in mind that everyone here is dealing with either their own or an SO's breeding choices.....or both.
Rags, don't feed the brick
Rags, don't feed the brick troll.
I was willing to raise any
I was willing to raise any child I may have on my own. And of course he has a choice in the act also -I'm surprised I need to say that.
I was willing to raise any
I was willing to raise any child I may have on my own. And of course he has a choice in the act also -I'm surprised I need to say that.
Nope - not today.
Nope - not today.
the stress of
the stress of Graduation-Palooza is starting to get to me.
I just can't even with the stories today...
I just SNORTED quite
I just SNORTED quite loudly!!! LOL
then my work is done... I
then my work is done...
I have zero patience today - so nope, ain't nobody got time for that!
WOB, all of the things I've
WOB, all of the things I've been dealing with have me HORRIBLY short on patience. It's why I spend more time alone because I don't want to Mount St. Helens all over someone for something ridiculous.
My patience level is
My patience level is decreasing as well, and I am usually pretty patient.
I think my ability to suffer dumbASSes is just non-existent these days.
Don't really know why - I am writing it off to:
graduation this weekend
Thing1 moving back home next week
graduation next weekend and my wedding anniversary
baby shower weekend after that
long weekend with DH weekend after that
Thing1 leaving for Europe week after that
Memorial Day holiday
Baby shower first weekend of June
then a long nap until the baby shows up!!
Update: Things have calmed
Update:
Things have calmed down because SD4 was shipped away to my BF's parents (in another country) for a month.
She's coming back (to our house) tomorrow.
I've bought all the books & they're my only hope !
The calming of pregnancy hormones has also helped the situation.
Hoping that BM will resume her role as MOTHER
Her current status is "I can't take my child" - which is laughable if it weren't so anger-inducing
Hoping that when SD4 begins school in September that she will normalise in terms of neediness and learn some English - making things easier. Also hoping my BF gets tons of work so that BM has to help with school runs (and therefore night care)
Still an underlying feeling of f*ck this
But now a stronger feeling of "if things don't improve I will have to leave" - because it ain't good for any kid to see their mom being devalued on a daily basis (my BF has taken to frequent sarcasm & basic resentment - directed at me - to ease his core hurts).
Giving it a good shot
And if it still remains sh*t, I'm gonna be elsewhere.