I have to deal with my partners 12 year old son every other weekend and his 17 year old brother, who is wonderful I also have 4 other children at home.
We set some rules, dinner at the table, bed time, limited computer game time and no M rated games. Nothing major but you would think I had demanded blood.
His mother is causing a lot of issues by encouraging him to be a nightmare, we read her text messages to him. However his father is taking the moral high ground and trying to carry on as normal. We are dealing with a child who is causing all sorts of issues. He wont eat at the table and just sits there. Okay starve I think but then later he comes down and gets cereal, no lock on cupboard so that is not an option. He wants to eat at the table that was in his father's old house which only seats four and he wants to go to bed later because at his dad's he did. He doesn't want to come out with us but when we left him he told his lawyer and therapist and we were hauled over the coals on that. His mother keeps taking us to court for sole custody despite his father paying $60000 in spousal and child support and being really hands on so much that I barely see him during the week as he is sports events.
Sorry for venting. Anyway last night we had a row and I don't know if I can keep doing this. He wants to pay to send his son to ice hockey camp, costs around $380.00. I said he shouldn't as his son doesn't deserve to go. He says he shouldn't be punished for his behaviour. We have a similar issue in the summer when he paid for Hockey which costs $890 even though his ex was meant to pay half. In my opinion he let her get away with it and paid it all himself when she refused. She got the therapist to say he should pay so she didn't appear to be the bad guy and has gloated about it ever since and made sure she attended all his games and practice.
I want to scream and we are still not speaking about this. With 6 more years to go how can I continue to do this without losing my sanity or gaining hundreds of pounds in comfort eating?