Manipulating SD
I got married 6 months ago, been together two years. My husband has 3 children, son 24, not living with us, daughter 22, living with us - their mother passed away 18 years ago and a 13 year old daughter living with her mother. I have a daughter of 9. Since day one his 22 year old daughter has been against us. We only moved in together 2 months ago to give all the kids enough time and space to get use to the idea. While staying apart she would invite his ex flings over etc just to stir and make issues. She would tell lies to his family to put me in a bad light. Now moving in together she lies and make up stories about me and he believes her as she never lied before? It is really taking its toll on our relationship and my daughter is struggling with all the conflict we find ourselves in. I moved across country for him and want him to stand with me? I feel lost, alone and stuck. This weekend we put photos of me and my daughter up with their pics, then she will take it out and replace it with pics of her late mother. I was single for 8 years and don’t want this drama in me or my daughters life. Any advice would be appreciated.
Exactly what MurphysLaw said.
Exactly what MurphysLaw said.
This will never work if your DH doesn't begin to set boundaries with his daughter. That convo should have been had before you moved in.
She needs to GO.
She needs to GO.
While staying apart she would invite his ex flings over etc just to stir and make issues
Why would your husband put up with any of this crap? He should have told her to move out when she did that, it was obvious that she wanted to cause problems between the two of you. He needs to put her in her place... or you need to find your own place.
Yes she’s an a$$, but your
Yes she’s an a$$, but your biggest problem is that your DH is a worthless POS. He believes her lies and was okay with entertaining his exes while you lived separately. Not a keeper.
Welcome to the site! Agree
Welcome to the site! Agree with Murphy's Law and notasm - this one is definitely not a keeper. Unable to set appropriate boundaries with his awful cuckoo of a daughter - pity you have already married him, huh? He sounds a complete knobhead.
Call the locksmith to rekey
Call the locksmith to rekey the locks. Put his toxic adult spawn on the curb. He needs to get his testicles out of her pocket and be a man.
A Choice
Looks like it's unanimous as far as the responses. Your DH is believing SD instead of you? State your case, walk away and don't waste time convincing him that you are not lying. Let him process it for a while. If he still accuses you of lying give your DH a choice: Either ask his DD to move out or you will leave. Her behavior - AND DH's behavior are unacceptable. Period. I sincerely hope you have funds stashed away in case you have to move out.
Thanks
Thanks everyone I will take all the advice for sure. I was thinking along those lines but it’s good to see a person is not wrong in your thinking.
Where is Dear Daddy when she
Where is Dear Daddy when she is inviting his Ex-girlfriends over and taking down pictures of you and your daughter?
HE is failing you. Those are absolute boundaries he should have with her. No.. you cannot invite over ladies I have dated... NO.. you cannot touch my wife's picture.
This girl is running over you because he is allowing it.
Reply
She would invite them while he was visiting me, he also do then change the pictures down and tell her not to do it again which she then did again and again. She now went through my stuff when we went to Church on Sunday and told her dad she found photos that was in her room in my drawer! I never ever go into her pig stile of a room. He says he gives me benefit of the doubt but In the same breath says but she never lies why would she now. December as I stayed at the coast I invited all 4 of them to visit December, me and my 70 year old dad fetched beds etc, I even made sure my fridge was stocked with everything she likes. She got there and made life so miserable for everyone her dad eventually send her home as that is what she wanted. Then she told the whole family I didn’t want her there that’s why he send her back. This last things really made me lost confidence in my husband and relationship and I don’t know how to fix it. She now went to stay with his sister for a few days as I feel we need to work on our marriage now but I dread the day which is probably tomorrow for her to come home. He has a massive family and they all feel I am trying to get between them two and he should put his children above me. It’s really stressful.
I’m with a few of the posters here
My husband would be livid if his kids with exwife invited their mum to our home, or any ex’s.
He would get nasty calls or messages from me whilst he’s at work and i’d also call the cops to have her forcibly removed and i’d tell hubby to have his kid removed from home right now as he cannot be trusted because thats a dealbreaker and a total invasion of my personal space. Since i run our household and maintain it as the stay at home wife and ss treats home like a pitstop, i see him more as a guest with no authority to invite others over without asking for permission.
my husbands exwife and 2 ex girlfriends were cheating whores, narcissistic bitches and exwife had family threaten harm and she’s a psycho. No was would she be allowed at home and hubby wouldn’t tolerate it.
How many EX flings has he had
How many EX flings has he had and why are they EXES?? I'm wondering if SD has been THE catalyst for the END all of his previous relationships...
I agre that if he believes SD over you, then he is a big part of the problem. SD needs to leave ASAP. Or you need to divorce him.
THIS....
THIS....
You don't say what you've
You don't say what you've tried to turn this around, so forgive me if this is no help.
I believe on some level, your husband MUST know your SD is against your marriage. She was likely a problem in his other relationships. If you can get him to admit that, you have made your case that she is disrupting his current relationship.
Before you married, did you talk about how SD reacted to his previous relationships? Has he ever even hinted that SD had issues with another woman in his life? This is your evidence, if you can get it. If he has never admitted she's always been a problem with girlfriends, you must gently fish around until he says it...
Here's what I'd do. You need your husband to admit SD has caused problems in his past relationships. When he comes home some night and you're alone, put all the discord on yourself. Mention how sad the problems with SD make you. Say, "I just don't know what I'm doing wrong. (Sigh big here and look sad.) Did SD take to your previous girlfriends? How did those girlfriends win her over?" Hopefully, at this point, he'll say, "Well, actually, SD didn't like any of my previous girlfriends..." or something to that effect.
Once he says that or anything similar, you have your power. So the next time SD acts up, you talk privately with him and let him know what is at stake for him. "Honey, I love you, and I know you believe SD wouldn't lie about anything. But you've admitted SD was a problem in your previous relationships and you need to know she is a serious problem in this one that could end this marriage. I need you to address this. Here's what I need you to do..."
Then you tell him how he needs to handle this stuff with SD. Don't expect him to know how to handle it on his own. He has no experience parenting his daughter, especially in regard to women he's had in his life. He probably won't be able to handle anything with SD, even when you're telling him exactly how to do it. You might need to go to therapy so he can hear from a third party that he is allowing SD to ruin your marriage -- you'd be surprised how effective hearing it from a third party is. Ask the therapist to tell you exactly how to handle specific things SD is doing to disrupt your marriage. The therapist will tell him, "The next time SD removes the photos from the walls, you must..."
Even hearing from a therapist exactly how to handle SD, your husband will have trouble doing it. But you are there to gently remind him how the therapist said he should handle it. Remind him what's at stake: "If she keeps taking down the photos and you don't handle it with her, she becomes emboldened to be even more disruptive in our marriage."
A good therapist can work wonders on these guilty fathers. A good therapist is hard to find, but divorce is even harder.
Thanks so much
This really is great advice! I just visited a friend who knew his ex wife and she mentioned that she saw back then already that the SD had a problem allowing anyone close to her dad- the SD was much smaller then - she even pushes inbetween her half sister and her dad now who we only get to see every second weekend. She is the most pleasant child ever and a great role model to my daughter. The friend also mentioned that she realized then already that any woman will be an issue for this girl. I get the impression the SD almost have a wife complex with the dad which I find very unhealthy. The way she speaks to him is not like a child speak to a father but rather a partner. I agree I think we need to go see someone as he is not seeing the situation for what it is and yes it might cost us our marriage. It’s like he is just not willing to acknowledge the truth. Thanks again!
So he has already lost
So he has already lost one wife to her? And he still doesn't see it? Yikes.
You always have such great
You always have such great insight and advice.
Don't be "the other woman" in your own marriage
I am married to a man who is married to his son. I realized this early on in our marriage but made a decision to work on our marriage. Now, for financial reasons, my life will be greatly compromised if I left. If your husband refuses to put you and marriage first, then you will be living with your SD's behavior for the rest of your life. The two of you have to have a united front and set boundaries. You DESERVE to be number 1. If he can't see what is happening, and if he refuses to change, you need to make a choice. I am speaking from experience and from pain. BE STRONG. You are at the beginning of your new life together. Try to work through this.
Have you heard the term mini
Have you heard the term mini wife before, OP? That's what you're dealing with. A stunted adult female with an unhealthy attachment to her father. And he raised her, so he's part of the problem.
Everyone in this scenario would benefit from some therapy. Maybe commit to some marriage counseling, but also develop an exit strategy? Your H and his daughter have been this way for a long time, and he may not be willing or capable of changing the dynamic.
Mini Wife
Wow thanks so much! This hits the nail right on the head! It feels like I can breath again knowing there is an actual term for what is wrong with SD! Thank you for making me realize I’m not crazy and this is actually a real thing!!
I can breath again knowing
I can breath again knowing there is an actual term for what is wrong with SD
Just remember though, that it is her father that has been allowing it. A mini-wife is not created by one person, alone.
I have been married for 39
I have been married for 39 years and SD58 has been Mini wife foe 39 years. Took me years to figure out that I was not imagining this mess.
I am also convinced SD58 caused her Dad and BM to divorce, by packing lies to Dadeeeee....for years, since she was able to talk.
(((((Hugs))))))
I am also married to a man
I am also married to a man with a mini wife. There is another term as well, emotional incest. It is where a parent uses a child to fill their emotional needs. They make their children into their mini wife. Not sexually but emotionally. These mini wives do not want to give this position up. I also believe this caused my DH's divoce to BM. They were not married to each other, they were each married to the children.
If these people had made their spouse the priority and not made their children their spouses, they probably would still be married. Instead they get divorce,find a new wife but continue to be married to their mini wife, so the cycle just goes on.
My DH's daugthter already is treating her son as her mini husband at 2 years old. The sickness just continues on to the next generation. That is what they know because they think it is normal. There is nothing normal about it.
Mini wives are empowered by
Mini wives are empowered by our husbands. Even if they stop running their mouths about us to them, they have at one time or another, that I believe 100%. This gives them unparrelled power over our marriages. The power is always there, even if never exercised again.
The only way to take the power back is to stay away from the "real" couple. They have nothing, or less-- to say about you then, or at least a lot less and saying the same old stuff over and over does bore even the most miserable person.
The great thing about this is you can give them zero head space now and they can no longer exist in your world. It is a flawed theory at best, but a lot more tolerable and peaceful than being a continuous victim of their sick enmeshment.
I have learned this lesson the hard way myself. However, I am grateful I did not waste any more energy trying to "fix" it or fix me....
Next time she removes your
Next time she removes your picture from the frame, make sure there is a piece of paper in the frame with the name and phone number for a therapist. Along with a message for her to get therapy!