A serious dilemma
Okay, Im at my wit's end. I need some sound advice from someone please. I hate to make the wrong decision but I need some advice first.
SD15 is currently visiting for the summer. I remember her from 4 summers ago. Very smart mouth bad attitude. Sweets talks her dad. Well, her other adult brothers now live with me and DH. She loves her brothers and I know this will be a reason for her to visit aka annoy me every fricking summer. Today and also last night, I've had it. She makes little comments indirectly about me. I know she is talking about me but she will swear to the gods she isn't. I have been ignoring them. But, now I have told my DH she needs to go back home, especially after he mentioned she is staying for two extra weeks. Her and her homosexual brothers are very "messy"
and they think I don't know when they are talking about me. She has made comments like " I don't like being here with ""these people""", when her brothers go to work, she says """please dont leave me here with these people""". She has a stupid look on her face like she has an attitude when I say something to her. Well, last week I think I forgot tot put on deorderant one day and was about to take a shower and freshen up but I went to the dryer to grab a dry towel. So now they're having an inside joke about that by acting as though theyre talking about someone else, when actually theyre talking about me. saying things such as " It stinks" even when it doesnt. Asked SD to wash the dishes, she finished them, and as she walks outdoors, she yells " it stinks!" They dont like me but they act like they do. The father sees no wrong. I feel like an idiot to allow people in my home to visit or live if they talk about me indirectly or behind my back. She will purposely not wash out her dishes even after seeing me rant about people not washing their dishes. She will purposely not throw her trash away after seeing me rant about me having to pick up their trash. I am thinking of getting a divorce because I dont want to deal with this any longer.
I hate to lose my husband and I am sure the SK will be happy as hell to know we may be separating. What do you suggest? I mentioned that I dont want his daughter here and he told her to apologize like thats going to make me forgive her. She is a sophmore in high school and she knows how to manipulate and lie and act like she is innocent. I will always hate that I am losing a husband I love but I refuse to deal with his kids any longer
Where's your gumption? Can't
Where's your gumption? Can't you verbally take out this little bitch? Slash her with words. Don't yell. Don't curse. But destroy her. You can do it.
I totally agree, I have faith
I totally agree, I have faith that you can outwit this little Sh!t and she will thank you for it after. As women we can be the most passive agressive B's when we need to be and do it with a smile on your face and a "bless you heart, honey" for good measure.
Notasm3~ my kinda girl!!!
Notasm3~ my kinda girl!!!
she knows how to manipulate
Then this is how you treat her in return. She’s a “mean girl.” The more you have your DH half-assedly reprimand her, demand she apologizes to you - the worst it’s going to get. She’ll ramp it up and get away with it, trust me.
I mean, I don’t think it’s wrong to want to send her home, but it’s not going to fix anything. It will just anger her and create more animosity. Beat this jerk at her own game. You’re older, wiser, and more experienced than her.
Show her you do not play.
How clear are the expectations of behavior?
Few of us have a poster board of "expected behaviors" like SuperNanny, especially in homes with teen and adult skids. You mentioned venting in general about people not cleaning up. Perhaps you and DH can take a drive together and discuss what type of home life & behavior that you expect. Keep it general, but speak of courtesy and cleanliness. Heck, even baboon troops have certain rules...
Pick 5 things that are expected in your home. All rent-paying adult skids and minor skids should have the situation clarified for them by their father. Post them prominently. Seriously. If they were acting with maturity and consideration this would not be necessary, but ... if they act like little kids ... Retraining psuedo-adult skids. You can always loosen the rule
What form of consequence will DH support and enforce? Yelling or "talking to them" is inadequate at this point. No exceptions and no excuses. Consequences should support the family unit. Mowing the lawn, waxing the kitchen floor, painting the garage, dishes for a week, cooking dinners which include vegetables ... whatever.
Once it is clear what is expected, do not nag, do not complain, merely enforce.
For instance, we had a problem with personal property left out in the living room. I tried boxes for each person & nightly we swept the main floor and dumped stuff into boxes if we could identify the owner. We had mixed results.
Finally, I started to black trashbag all of SGD's stuff that was left out overnight or when she left after visitation. Makeup, moldy towels stuffed in the recliner, craft supplies, dirty underwear under the couch, dirty clothes, plates with dried food, mismatched shoes ... everything was put into a black bag and placed into the garage. The next week, I reminded SO and SGD of the black bag that they needed to sort. Nothing was done until I mentioned that I'd just put it into the trash on Monday. Light bulb moment for the both of them. On his own, SO did the black bag thing about 6 months later. SGD became much more accountable for her belongings, her dishes and her trash. (Okay, hidden dishes were still an issue.)
We all know the passive-aggressive behavior which is driving you mad and it is easy for SO to deny/ignore. So, get him engaged and involved. It will be a helluva lot cheaper than a divorce.
Tell your DH if he doesn’t
Tell your DH if he doesn’t intervene you’re leaving him and keep your word.
Agreed. There’s absolutely no
Agreed. There’s absolutely no need to address your step children’s sexuality in a derogatory manner. Plus, their sexual orientation is irrelevant here.
The clinical history of the word "homosexual," is aggressively used by anti-gay extremists to suggest that gay people are somehow diseased or psychologically/emotionally disordered.
The more you know (insert rainbow emoji).
Well said. When she added
Well said. When she added that line it raised a few red flags.
I'm gonna give OP a pass on
I'm gonna give OP a pass on the orientation comment. She's under the gun with I don't know how many skids and clearly it's not going well. Maybe the mouthy kids have her saying and thinking things she might not normally say or think. I GET THIS! Only she knows if she has a problem with their orientation that preceded them moving in. If so, that's for a different post, but I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt because I don't know.
That aside, yea, some of these posters are right. You need to take back control. The kids are mean girling you -- the "stinks" comments sound so much like something my two "best friends" pulled on me in college. I was baffled why these girls were suddenly harassing me and writing "Tide" on my door. (I'd borrowed a sweater and returned it without washing it because I ended up not wearing it -- and THIS was the infraction that turned my "best friends" against me.) This stuff will make you crazy and it reduces us to junior-high hurt if it's not managed.
Fed, you don't say how you got along with the boys before SD came for the summer. It might be helpful to know if SD is driving the bullying or if there are always problems with the SSs too, but maybe without the mean-girl dynamic ???
If it's SD driving it, just deal with her. Take out the queen bee and the hive will collapse. Besides, you live with SSs full time, so best to deal with their bad behavior after the queen is gone.
Here's some validation of what you're going through: http://www.stepdigest.com/2015/10/26/relational-aggression/
Read up on relational aggression and different ways to deal with it. You just have to get through this visit. Then you can put down your foot for any future SD visits. After a quick scan, I don't see a lot of ways to deal with it hands on. Best to avoid her now and in the future.
Whatever you do, don't let her see that she's getting to you. Leave the house, take a trip, spend weekends away, get your husband to take his tribe camping or on a trip...whatever you have to do, do it. Once SD gets a taste of blood, you're sunk. And if she sees she's causing trouble with you and your husband, you're sunk.
Don't make any decisions now about divorcing. Wait until she's gone and then see if your husband is willing to go to her if he's so interested in seeing her (doesn't sound like he is). Try to be measured when you talk to him about this -- even though he doesn't seem to have much regard for SD, he'll still likely be defensive if you come on too strong. Just say, "I'm not willing to have a repeat of this summer so you need to make other plans regarding SD" and see where the discussion goes.
SD is running wild with power this summer -- probably because she knows she's getting a rise out of you and she knows she's not going to be there for long. She's trying to make the most upheaval in the time she has. Leave the dirty dishes, leave the trash -- just be hands off until she's gone -- then tackle the issue with your husband when she's not there to defend herself.
Good luck. I know how hard the mean girl stuff is. I have a mean girl SD too and she's not allowed in my house. That really took her power away.
I actually got along quite
I actually got along quite nicely with the boys before their sister came into the picture. But, I have seen their true colors and it will never be forgiven nor forgotten. I'm at the point now where I don't want them ever moving back in. They moved out 2 weeks ago. Me and DH got into a big fight they all left but he came back. He sent his DD back home about 7 days after my original post. He also is making it seem as though everything is my fault. Since she left he textd her every day and says things like I wish you didn't have to leave. She responds with "your wife doesn't want me there" I'm like are you flipping serious! She needs to know why I don't want her here. When his kids moved out, He told them I hated them. I'm guessing to make me look like an evil person. He showed many people text messages I sent to him about the reasons why I didn't want his kids here. He deleted alot of texts and only showed them what he wanted them to see. Everyone thinks I'm jealous and hateful. I'm so sad right now. I feel completely alone. He confronted his kids about the things I said regarding them and they immediately lied and said everything I said wasn't true. He believes them and not me. It really seems as though our relationship is very bleek at this point. I don't think I want to be apart of his family any longer. We have 3 kids and 1 on the way and I am completely terified of raising them on my own. I am literally fed up and I don't know what to do. It's like his kid's run his life. People are thinking I'm tearing his family (him and his kids) apart, but in reality it's all their fault. My SD birthday cme up and he completely stopped messaging her, he didn't wish her happy birthday, and ignored all of her phone calls. She text " You don't have too talk to me anymore" The Ex messaged and wanted to knwo why he all of a sudden stop communicating with his daughter. I never told him to stop talking to her. Although I am not sure,people are going to assume it's me who is causing him to not talk to her. I literally look like a bad person even though I'm not doing anything. I neve thought about it until now but I think he wants to turn his kids against but still wants to be in a relationship with. During the 3 day breakup he told everyone including church members, police officers, and his kids that I hated his children which I never said this. I have never regretted anything as much as marrying him. It's liek a love/hate situation. I would like for peopel to undestand but I don't think people will. The kids are liars and he believes whatever they say. So now it seems as though both my SS want to move back in, but I had a talk with my DH speciifically saying they can find their own place. He has a shed behind the house for them was renting and it's costly. He keeps making up excuses as to why he needs to keep it. To store things and such andI think it is because they want to move back. I am totally against it and I feel if I mention it again he will call me mean and hateful for feeling that way.
You need to stop having
You need to stop having verbal confrontations with her and get passive agressive. She leaves stuff laying around? Make it dissappear. She won't wash her dishes, then she only gets paper plates and cups, etc.
There is no need to have any conversations with her.
Stop attacking this SM. She's
Stop attacking this SM. She's at her wit's end with an obviously defiant SD who has no respect for her. She deserves to rant! Lay it all out there. Sexual orientation, weight, everything is fair game! I'm sure skids are having a ball attacking her from every direction. Sounds like she lives in a house where skids judge everything she does. I would say leave that situation because it's clearly not safe for you. Take care of yourself and your well being.
Your house, your rules. I
Your house, your rules. I commented something similar on another post. Disrespecting you is disrespecting the home. Disrespect the home, you can leave. Your DH and you must be on the same page. Sounds like your SSs are young adults and old enough to get their own place. If your SD is going to disrespect you... DH needs to spend his time with her elsewhere. You and SD don’t need to be friends, but under your roof that you help pay for... I wouldn’t tolerate that abuse.