BM wants to talk to DH about his WIFE and the kids, should I insist on being part of the conversation???
After one weekend of putting "the Rules" the kids agreed to up on the fridge, and DH attempting to follow through with ONE consequence for SD not following the rules (it failed, because he told her no TV on Sat night and she ended up watching TV and getting away with it anyway), BM told DH this morning that she wants to have a chat with him about HIS WIFE and the kids.
Hmmm... I wonder what this can be about....
Before I jump to the conclusion that I'm being made out to be the Bad Guy for insisting on Rules being followed and insisting on Consistency in the consequences, let's just play "Wait & See"...
Do you all think I should insist on being present at this chat, since it is about ME and the kids? I am not very confident that DH has the ability to defend himself when dealing with his Ex (i.e. say strongly and confidently that BM does not make the rules in our home), muchless defend me.
Sigh. I am beginning to hate Friday's.
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Absolutely you should be
Absolutely you should be there.
No ifs, ands, or buts about it. No excuses.
I think you should be there.
I think you should be there. If she has something to say regarding you, you should be there to deal with it whether it is good or bad. If its good, there should be no problem with you being there. If its not, you should still be there to listen to what she has to say, hear her view and be able to state your point of view.
You can only be the 'bad guy'
You can only be the 'bad guy' if you want to be the 'bad guy'. It is all about perception.
Although your DH should tell his ex that if she has anything to say about you then you will be part of the conversation. Discussions about the children may or may not involve you. After all, they are THEIR kids. But if you are brought up as part of the issue/problem then you get included again.
It may take more than a few days to get the rules system working. I had to fight with my DH for about 3 months before he had the boys take their ball caps off at the dinner table. He lived on his own for so long he almost had a Frat House thing going with his pre teen sons! it wasn't until i refused to cook or do the dishes after a meal that he got the idea he better see my way. Also having his mother back me up was helpful *grin*
Couldn't she just email your
Couldn't she just email your DH what her she wants to talk about and then he could avoid a big discussion about it? Or text? 140 characters or less?
She prefers to hold him down,
She prefers to hold him down, one-on-one, and demand immediate answers, without giving him a chance to really think about the issue, and definitely without giving him a chance to talk to me. She becomes very loud and demeaning, and he gave into her for years just to get her to shut up.
"She prefers to hold him
"She prefers to hold him down, one-on-one, and demand immediate answers, without giving him a chance to really think about the issue, and definitely without giving him a chance to talk to me."
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All the more reason for him to deny the sit-down & rather offer the opportunity to communicate by phone or by email. As long as he continues to let her do it, she will.
Absolutely you should be
Absolutely you should be there. If the meeting is about you, insist on attending or insist that DH refuse.
I don't think you need to be
I don't think you need to be there. I am of the belief that all conversations regarding the kids should be between their parents. He does need to stand up for you. If my DH had been on my side early on in the rule issues, we may not be having some of the problems with the BM now. If it happens again, than maybe you need to exchange emails with her. But, I think this is a conversation that he needs to have with her. His house, his rules. He doesn't dictate what happens in her house, she can't dictate what happens in his house. He just needs to be very firm on that.
100 % is my vote. You should
100 % is my vote. You should be there if he is not going to defend you. How would he like it if your ex bashed him ?
I don't see whay BM is
I don't see whay BM is deciding there should be a "meeting" in the first place!
This is clearly BM sticking her nose in where it doesn't belong-
in YOUR home. BM should not be having a conversation about the things that happen over at your home.
You and your DH need to institute a clear policy when it comes to BM because it is clear she is "confused" when it comes to boundaries:
"What happens at our home is our business"
We had this same problem with our BM years ago. She felt she could "micromanage" the decisions DH and I made with the kids in our home, because the kids would call her up to complain at every little thing they didn't like. She, in turn, would call DH to "save" them from our "horrible" home, creating a hostile environment ("us vs them").
Don't feed into it. Have DH shut it down immediately.
I didn't read any of the
I didn't read any of the responses but my first reaction is UMMM NO you may NOT talk to me or my dh about 'his wife' you may talk to me if you have a problem about our kids. But NOT about my wife! sorry but that is the way I feel. I don't think it is a good idea for the ex to be talking to her ex about his spouse. I think that if there is a problem the kid is having or the ex is having in regards to the kid at his house she needs to address it that way.
ETA: I also think this converstaion should be held by phone, text, or email. Defiantly not face to face.
One last thing I forgot to
One last thing I forgot to mention, a few years or so ago bm took the boys to a councilor and bm tried to make dh believe that the councilor wanted them to sit down and talk about me the kids and everything. Dh talked to him about that and he said he would never ever recommend that ever.
I would ask your DH to tell
I would ask your DH to tell her that if she has an issue with you than she needs to take it up with you. He is not a mediator, and neither are you. You're all adults. If she's got a problem with one of you she can either suck it up, or approach the person she has a problem with. Simple as that.
After reading other replies
After reading other replies I've changed my mind about my answer.
I think your dh should refuse to meet her to discuss you at all.
As others said, if she has a problem with you she needs to take it up with you. He needs to make it clear to her that YOU will not be a topic of conversation between him and her and the ONLY thing he will ever discuss with her is the children.
If she tries to say she wants to talk about your relationship with the children then she needs to talk to YOU not him.
Also, that talk needs to be in writing - email.
Thanks everyone for your
Thanks everyone for your replies!!!
In a perfect world, I'm really with Jsmom on this, DH should deal with it, by standing up for himself and me. But nothing about this stepfamily life is ever perfect.
I've bothered DH at work to insist that I be included somehow, even if just to hear what she says but not actually talk to her. He said "Fine," but he's not really convinced. He said I'm lucky he even told me, because he could have simply not mentioned that she said that to him. He's pretty annoyed with me right now.
Anyway, I have very little control, and in some sense he has only a little control.
He HAS to pick up the kids later and she WILL insist on talking to him then. If he refuses to talk then, she will probably make him look terrible in front of the kids, and she will also probably refuse to talk to him about it at any time he suggests.
My only hope of being involved is if he calls her before he goes to pick up the kids, and she actually says what the problem is. If she has any clue that he is home with me and calling, she definitely won't answer.
I will let you all know how it went.
There are so many things
There are so many things wrong with what you say in that post that I don't even know where to begin!
1. You are not 'lucky' he even told you. You are in a relationship with him. You are entitled to know what's going on, particularly if YOU are the topic of conversation. Is he your partner or not?
2. He's annoyed with YOU? Why? Because you want to be involved in a conversation about you with his ex? He has no reason to be annoyed with you over this.
3. He has TOTAL control over whether or not he allows her to control this situation.
4. Saying that he HAS to talk to her when he picks them up or she will make him look bad in front of the kids is pure BS. He's handing you an excuse because he doesn't have the balls to stand up to her. She can only make him look bad in front of the kids if he lets her. He does NOT have to kiss her ass to see his kids. If you have a court order then he should just get his kids and leave. If you don't have a court order then get one. He does not have to jump through whatever hoops she holds out. That's pure BS.
5. If she refuses to talk to him when he suggests then fine, she doesn't talk to him. I dont' think he should agree to talk to her about this anyway.
6. It sounds like he is scared of her and caters to her whims. He has to get over whatever it is that's making so eager to please her. You have to nip this in the bud NOW or you will have nothing but misery ahead.
*like*
*like*
You know, I wish there was
You know, I wish there was some magic pill I could give him, so that he'd know how to deal with this, or he'd have the guts to ask for advice or something...
But it's like this, HE has to do such and such, and I CANNOT make him do it. Believe me I have tried... I don't know what else to do. And the big D(ivorce) is not an option... SIGH...
I feel for you and if that
I feel for you and if that were my dh that i was luck he even said anything to me I'd rip him a new one! That is not acceptable. I would stand up for myself at this point and demand the respect. tell him how would he feel if the shoe was on the other foot and your ex wanted to talk you about him and he was not allowed to be there. Or would he feel that he has no right to talk about him? See what I mean? Oh no it wouldn't happen here. That shows disrespect toward you. You should have control at your own home and weather your dh talks about to you to whom.
OH MY GOD!!!! Oh my God!!! Oh
OH MY GOD!!!!
Oh my God!!! Oh my God!!!
He actually did it. I think I just got hit on the head and fell in love with him all over again. There is something about a man standing up for himself that is sooooooooo attractive.
Anyway, he called her when he got home, in my presence. She did not want to speak to him but he insisted. She has a problem with the rules here, and said I was treating her kids like slaves because I made her son wash a pot (and I checked it and made sure he washed it clean when he hadn't done so the first time), and I don't pick up after them. She thinks their chores are not age-appropriate. DH made it VERY clear that she cannot do anything about the chores they are given in this house and that he fully supports me. She hung up a few times and called back. In the end, he hung up on her, saying "Two can play that game."
He's gone to get the kids. I'm sure he'll have to take a bit more but he seems prepared, because he and I are on the same page regarding the chores.
Yay!!!! Friday just got better!!!
Thanks all, for your listening ears and all your advice!
Good for you stepmom31!!!!
Good for you stepmom31!!!! Sooooo happy that your DH found where he left his balls! lol
STANDING UP CLAPPING!!!!!
YES, I agree with you 1000% that there's DEFINITELY something very attractive about a man that actually stands up for himself - and for his WOMAN (present, not past)!!
I loved this post! I hope your DH keeps it up and stands his ground when he picks up skids.
PLEASE keep us updated on how this plays out!!!
(((stepmom31)))
Awesome!!! woohoo so happy
Awesome!!! woohoo so happy for you. BTW I understand where you are coming from as my bm did the same thing, said I make the boys my slaves! Whatever! I just make them clean their own messes, their rooms and help with common areas! GEEZ!
I love it when our dh's do that victory!!!