My SS and I have come such a long way. I thought about this the other day when he said, "Let's go lay down on the hammock." He's 6 years old and he's super nice and really a very easy kid. He's affectionate with his parents and usually with his grandparents (but not always), but other than that, he's not really affectionate with family members. My niece (3) and nephew are the only kids I've ever been close to in my adult life and they are crazy about me, constantly hugging me and hanging on to me. I was thrown off when trying to build a relationship with my SS. He loves to have fun, so we'd play and wrestle, but you could tell he wasn't comfortable with closeness. In the last month or two, he's done things like put his arms around me (usually to then try to wrestle lol) and lay on the hammock with me. He's initiating which is so awesome to me. Everyone says it's obvious he adores me, but it's these little things that are so rewarding.

Just a month ago, he grabbed my hands and was making me jump him up and down. This was such a big deal, because his mom was there! We were all in line at a restaurant, eating dinner together after my SS's tap recital. I usually complain about going to events where his BM and her family are going to be, because I feel like an idiot hanging out with no one to talk to. My SS shows me very little attention when his mom is around, and that is normal, but then I don't want to have to go to every single event. If it's important to my SS, I always go. But seriously, there are so many events we go to and her whole family comes! I'm talking sisters, brothers, parents. (They all still live in the same town - never left home.) My DH is trying to play with his son, so I just sit around. Not very fun. My SS has initiated trying to play with me the last two times we were all around together. Apparently his BM noticed because during the heated conversation where she told my DH I wasn't "his parent"... she also mentioned that I could "step on the sidelines a little more" when we're at an event with her and her family. A LITTLE MORE?! I'm ALWAYS on the effing sidelines. SO much, that my DH and I usually get into a fight about it and I never want to go to these things. He finally starts showing me some attention and she can't stand it. My DH brought up how this is never the case and how the 2 times my SS did try to play with me, it was a new and rare thing. She was like, "I don't mean that. I'm just talking about a possible scenario." Yeah right. She just so happened to blow up about me 3 days after this particular event.

Come to think of it... right after the tap recital, my SS came down the stairs with untied shoe laces. He walked up to me and said something, and I noticed the shoes. I told him I didn't want him to trip and I leaned down to tie his shoelaces... I sat there tying them while his BM, and her family all chitchatted about. Then as soon as I stood up, she goes, "Well, you have to change out of those, put these sandals on." It's like... wow, good thing I just leaned down and tied those shoes. Thanks for watching me do that for nothing. I thought it was purposely bitchy... makes sense considering the conversation that followed 3 days later.