I have an 8 year old step son who constantly pretends to be sick, sad, or hurt to get his father's undivided attention. He also has a 4 year old little sister and a 20 month step sister who is mine. Neither of them struggle with this and my husband and I are newly weds of 8 months. Ever since we got married my step son has developed manipulative behavior to take all of his father's attention away from us and reflected onto him by acting sad or helpless even though my husband gives him appropriate attention if not more as it is. We get him on the weekends so whenever he does stay with us I suggest to my husband that just him and his son partake in an activity alone to satisfy this problem so it doesnt take away from us. My husband is constantly worried about him and gives him everything he wants to make sure he's okay. I understand and don't blame him since he gets less time with his son than the others, but I also wish he could see that his son is actually manipulating him. Whenever my 20 month old daughter and/or I are alone with my husband, he does whatever he can to interrupt it by calling out dad..., dad..., dad.., playing sick,pretending to hurt himself, or mopes around until his father gives him more sympathy than he shows anybody else and my husband falls for alot of it. The moment my husband and I are alone he will walk in the room and just walk around his dad for no apparent reason. He depends on his dad to entertain him the entire time he stays with us such as playing games or finding something to do. He acts like he cant do any of that by himself without his dad's help. Last night he claimed to have fallen off the top bunk in his bedroom then asked to sleep with us because he couldnt sleep in his bed and the next day he claimed he couldnt walk from his fall in order to stay home from school. Ironically, he knew that his father and I both had off of work that day and we're going to be spending it together. Sure enough, he could walk and was playing perfectly fine at school. The other week our family went on a nature hike and my step son begain walking unusualy slow (like 2 year old slow) just so my husband could fall behind with him and walk with him separating my daughters and I from them with our normal pace. It sounds crazy but these are examples of how it is all the time and I know what he is up too. Anytime I try to talk to my step son he is very passive, and never talks to me. Anytime I tell him to do something very lightly (like picking up his clothes) he just nods his head and then ends up not doing it. It seems he is using his passive behavior to get back at me for getting in between him and his father's routine before I was in the picture. My husband let's him stay up late with us in our bedroom and in our bed with us, and NEVER shows any affection for me in front of him but normally does otherwise. My husband acts very distant and doesnt show me much attention because i think that he thinks it hurts his sons feelings. At leaste that is the vibe I get so I spend the weekend being put last. I know I get most of the week with him so i dont let it bother me much but its fustrating that he is blind to his sons behavior. I don't know how to point out this passive pretending to be helpless behavior of my stepson without sounding like I'm jealous. Anytime I ever have addressed it that's what he assumes so ive learned to just live with it. That's not the case though. I don't mind that him and his son spend time together. In fact, I wish they would set aside more time just the two of them to avoid his son from acting out continuously and like I said it's not like he doesn't get enough attention. There are boundaries my husband needs to set. He needs to show his son that he puts his wife first. Just as I show our children I put my husband first. It doesn't mean he loves his son any less but in my opinion that's the way it should be. Mommy and daddy vs children. Not daddy and son vs mommy and daughters. Other Opinions? Suggestions?