You are here

Hindsight is 20/20

PiperDear's picture

This situation has been going on for a year and a half, so there is a lot to it but I would like to mention the biggest events. I am the stepmother to a 10 year old (M). My fiance was awarded full custody a year and a half ago. The mother was under investigation through our local department of social services and was not truthful during the placement of her son (she lied and said that she did not know where his father was, even though she did). This ended up with my stepson being placed in a foster home while we went through the process of getting custody. He has maintained a relationship with the foster parent (34 M). In the aftermath of being awarded custody, we looked to the former foster parent for advice and he had stated that he wanted to maintain contact with my stepson. At the time, we didn't see any harm in it and continued their relationship. My stepson would go to the FP's house on a weekly basis to spend a night or two (the FP also had children that he has adopted and they got along with my stepson). About four months after being given full custody, we sat the FP down to talk about decreasing the time our child spent at his house. This was met with resistance and we felt bad, so did not continue to push our wants. The FP decided about two months later that he would foster our child's two half siblings. Thinking that this was great that our child would continue to have a relationship with his siblings, we continued to let the weekly sleepovers occur. Things started to go downhill again when the goodbyes between our child and the FP began involving kissing on the cheek, prolonged byes. We repeatedly told our child that this was not appropriate behaviour and we did not wish for it to continue. This finally ceased. We enrolled our child in the school district closest to our home which meant that he would be going to school with one of his siblings. The school year began and I took my stepson to school every morning and dropped him off in the car rider line. About three weeks into the school year, I had to go to the school to pick something up. It was brought to my attention at that time that the FP was walking my stepson to class every morning (FP lives near the school and walks the sibling there every morning). This made me very upset and I expressed this to my fiance. I am now walking my stepson to class and am not warm when the FP stops in the hallway to talk to my stepson. The weekly visits continue and I have also expressed that I want them to stop. I by no means want the relationship between my stepson and his siblings to suffer, but at this point I am highly uncomfortable with the FPs standing in my stepsons life. My family and my fiance's family are uncomfortable as well. We have decreased as much time as we can without feeling a huge resistance. Here are a couple of more things:

- My stepson once told me that he wouldn't speak to me or his dad if we didn't let him go over to the FPs house weekly.

- FP will not take no as an answer and always has to respond with a snide remark if he feels he doesn't get the response he wants

I apologize for this post being so long, so much has happened, especially lately. I feel at my wit's end. My fiance is uncomfortable but is not as vocal about it as I am. Are we being too smothering about this? Is this a normal thing for foster parents to do or a normal way for them to act? Any and all advice is welcome.

Thank you,

Concerned Stepmom

BethAnne's picture

No idea about how normal this is or not (doesn’t sound normal to me). I would be seeking advice from child services about this all.

Foster parents are supposed to help facilitate relationships with biological parents, (as long as it is safe for the children). They are not supposed to be putting barriers in the way. That is my understanding. 

Does ss show any signs that the foster parent is abusing him? Has he been groomed by him? 

I hope you find someone knowledgeable to answer your questions. 

lieutenant_dad's picture

Personally, I'd give FP one warning that this ends or that you contact whatever agency he goes through for foster parenting. Even if this man is in fostering to adopt, your SS is not adoptable. He needs to facilitate the relationship between him and his father - NOT try to convince your SS that he should live with him. Choosing to take the half siblings was a manipulation tactic to get SS to want to come over.

It's time to cut ties with FP and put SS in therapy. Either FP is sincere in his love for SS (which is possible if SS had lived with him for a long time) or something else is going on. FP knows he is in the wrong and that's why he is getting defensive and angry. SS needs therapy anyway - he's lost his mother, his FP was his parent for a very long time it seems and now he's losing him, and he's trying to form a new relationship with you all. He needs help processing all of that, and it's help that you can't provide. 

Letting him continue to see FP is a bit like breaking up with someone but still hanging out with them every week. You can't really move on to your new life if you don't end the previous one. Of course SS doesn't want to lose connection to FP and his siblings. However, he's a child. He doesn't know what he needs 100% of the time.

tog redux's picture

Cut off the FP and report him to DHS immediately.  The skid can see his siblings another way. Also, let the school know he doesn't have permission to speak to the kid at school and an attorney will be contacting them if they allow it. 
 

This guy sounds like bad news. 

Lndsy747's picture

The whole time I was reading this I was expecting the next sentence to say that you found out he was being molested. This does not sound normal at all.

PiperDear's picture

I greatly appreciate everyone's responses. We've actually had custody of my stepson for a year and a half now. He was with the FP for about 3 to 4 months. I definitely feel that he has manipulated this situation to his advantage. We really didn't know what we were dealing with when granted custody and I think he knew that. I've not seen any indication of molestation but that doesn't mean anything. I think it would be best to start my stepson in therapy. I feel there would be a lot of clarity. Some things between my stepson and the FP sometimes feel secretive (such as the walking to class situation). My stepson's father and I know, but they don't know that we do. And that's extremely off putting to me. Our plan is to sit down and talk to the FP and if he gives any pushback to the decisions we make, I will be in touch with our local DSS.

Rags's picture

My BIL1 and his DW adopted twins out of Foster care.  The now have 4 daughters. A 17yo, a 12yo and two 11yo twins.   The former FM is now included in the extended family as a GM figure.  But.... BIL1 and his DW keep her in her place and make it crystal clear to the twin's former family including the FFamily that they have no place other that what my BIL1 and his DW stipulate that they will have.  This includes the twin's former mother/BM who is a drug addled whack job and their Maternal former GM who is clearly the source of the BM's issues.  They have no place at all in the adoptive family dynamic and my BIL1 and his DW are extremely protective of their adopted twins.

Time for a cease and desist and RO/PO against this former FP and get them the F out of this kid's life.  To allow the SKid and the FP to make demands just dilutes the authority of you and your DH and gives them power that they have zero place having.

IMHO of course.

Good luck.