Step mom or babysitter?
Once again I feel like the evil stepmother. I'm engaged to be married. I am very much in love but I do not much care for my 6 year old future ss. (I have two of my own). I'm not mean to him, we just sort of politely coexist you could say. He's not misbehaved or anything. To be honest he just creeps me out... There is something off about him. I get anxious when he comes over(every weekend) but only the whole weekend every other.. anyway, my question is.. Should I keep just letting my fiancé and bio mom just assume I'm the babysitter on our weekend? My fiancé works a lot and I'm glad to help out in a pinch but I do not like how it's just expected of me every time. Shouldn't his visiting revolve around his parents' schedules and not mine? I think they assume that because I have two of my own (who are older and to the age they don't need "watched") that I'm automatically a day care. I feel mean bringing it up so I just go along with it but I do not think its fair that I get no alone time with my kids on the weekends. What should I do??
Visitations should be
Visitations should be rearranged so that the SS is actually visiting his father. If Dad isn't off on weekends, schedule the visits for the days/times FDH is off. You have every right to be free to do time alone with your own children.
If impossible to reschedule (too much overtime or whatever causing the amount of work), tell FDH he best line-up his sitter because it isn't you. It's one thing to occasionally offer your assistance (example, FDH is only going to be gone a short part of one of the weekend days and you have 'family' plans when he gets home), quite another to think of you as the built in babysitter.
Anytime that you are agreeing to babysit, you should have a decent notice and actually be asked and given the choice of declining the request (and declining without being made to feel guilty or 'selfish'). There's nothing selfish about expecting parents to figure out how they are going to both work out a schedule and arrangements to watch their own children. Nothing to feel guilty on your part over.
I think sometimes issues over this kind of thing arise when the stepparent has been 'ok' with it at first and then part way in becomes to resent it and tries to stop the infringing. Better to be up front straight about what you're willing to do, occasionally do, and/or won't be expected to do.
There have been times I've
There have been times I've asked that, what did you and your ex do before i came along? And obviously they just worked it out. I'm not sure how it came to be that he comes wether or not his dad is here. She wants her weekend off I guess no matter what. Every other he is only here for the day of Sunday and his dad is always home that day. I think he just assumes I should because I leave mine at home with him. But they are 12 and 15 and I would leave them home alone even if he weren't there. He doesn't need to watch them. I very much want this assumption to stop but every time I try to bring it up I get too scared. But I keep thinking, soon my kids are going to be at the age that they are running with friends all weekend, then it's just my ss and me!? I can only halfway tolerate it now because my kids are good buffers I am almost considering signing my kids up for something on Saturdays so that I CAN'T babysit.
I am almost considering
I am almost considering signing my kids up for something on Saturdays so that I CAN'T babysit.
OMG - I actually did that.
I also scheduled work meetings so I wouldn't be available to be the free babysitting service.
It sort of all happened gradually, 'hey do you mind getting SS since you are getting BD anyway?' grew to the expectation that I was the babysitter and driver for anything and everything while BM sat on her ass and DH worked late to avoid responsibility.
By the time I tried to get out of it - it was a blow out fight of - watch your own damn kids, and why should I be responsible for more than either one of the actual parents are willing to do for their own kids.
Nip it now - it only gets worse and harder to reverse.
You are both right. I
You are both right. I probably brought it on myself by being "ok with it" but then realized how it was making me almost dread weekends when I should be looking forward to family time without my hands always tied! I really need to learn to stand up for myself
Yes, focus on your kids and
Yes, focus on your kids and have an honest talk with your fiance, you are not the mother of his child. Even he is a good boy, not yours. He should be with mom, dad or anyone in the family.
You are not Julia Roberts in Stepmom (joke)
In my case, my husband travels and works a lot, so my DH and his ex tried to force me to babysit my SD while he is away.
I said to him that I was not going to do that, first of all because I am not her mother, I have two little babies and cannot deal with extra work and also because the kid has psychological and emotional problems, and she does not talk to me. The kid also hurt herself with a fork in the ear, so I cannot be responsible if anything happens.
Be polite, and diplomatic, but it is clear your SS is not your responsibility. If you do that they will certainly ask for more. Can you imagine? And then you will have full custody!!
Amazing what you said, I feel the same way when my SD is coming: anxiety and I want to run away!
Hope you can solve this situation, wish you the best!
This makes me so sad for you!
This makes me so sad for you! That is crap. You are not the mother of that child and you are not expected in any way, shape or form to care for that child in the absence of their parents. I had similar issues myself. My partner would always find odd jobs to complete when my SD would come over for her once a fortnight, three night visit. "I'll just be half an hour" he would say, then 5 hours later he would finally turn up. I have no children of my own, so for weeks, months even, on end, I was feeling so 'trapped' and stuck at home with a child that isn't mine. She would be well behaved in my care, but that's not the point. I did something drastic. I changed my work hours. I now work the Saturdays he has her. It was the easiest way out of a situation since I'd already chatted to my partner and said I felt like the babysitter. I also tried to get my partner to see that it was completely unfair to SD to leave her with me constantly. She comes to spend time with dad! Not SM. You need to get your partner to see this too. It becomes almost ritualistic chore type behaviour in the end, where the term 'it's your turn or it's your weekend' is thrown around a lot. If you were agreeing to mind your SS in that time, then fine. But, it should never be forced upon you! I made a conscious decision that if my SD was ever left in my care for an extended period of time without reason or asking, I would drive my SD home to her mothers and explain why she was there. BM is such moo moo ('cow') that's it's highly likely that she would refuse to take her, so I would then just call the police. It seems drastic but my parents taught me they for every action comes a consequence. I honestly feel that drastic measures are the only way to go when talking it out hasn't worked. Use initiative, talk to your partner and if he won't come around, build a plan that leaves you looking innocent enough to prevent him asking if that's what you did. He won't ask, because he knows it's unfair and so does BM! Time to fight back Goodluck!
I told him I couldn't watch
I told him I couldn't watch him this Saturday if he had to work and threw in " besides its visitation and there is no point in him coming if u can't visit". That seemed to make sense to him but then he just asked me if his sons mom could drop him off at 5 tomorrow if I'm home cuz he won't be off work yet. I was hoping he got the hint . Ill write more later, not a lot of privacy ;p