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Steptalker2's picture

i have an SD14. She never interacts with me.

I’m fine with it.

I’ve lived  for two years with them with my DD13. I sold my house to move in with them after our wedding.

 From the beginning SD set up problems between me and her mom. Example; She would text her dad and tell him to take me off the family calendar because it makes her mom uncomfortable.

By then we were engaged and we had DDs events on DHs family calendar that he share with his parents because they help with transportation and they like coming to kid events. DH told SD that he was removing BM from the calendar because she can have her own family calendar instead if she wants and just add DH. BM then messaged DH to help her set up a google calendar which he didn’t because he said  a 50 year old woman should be able to do that herself or she should have her boyfriend do it for her.

Then SD yelled at me for not saying hi to her mom at her brothers dance performance. I responded that there is no expectation for me to say hi to your  mom. If your mom would like to talk to me she is welcome to say hello to me no problem.

Since these episodes two years ago  after I moved in SD has tried her best to not interact with me which is fine with me because I spend most of my kid time interacting with my DD.

But DH wants us to get along and he blames me for not trying hard enough.

Last weekend we took all the kids on a light rail trip and had lunch at our final destination. The whole time SD only made eye contact with her dad and made little knowing comments or glances towards her dad and completely ignored DD13 and me. I was fine with that but then DH blamed me for not interacting with SD. I was so exhausted by the end of that family outing because there was so much pressure!

 

Then he made me cook lunch with her while he went on a bike ride  with DD13 and SS12. I tried to make conversation but she only said a few words in response.

I have disnengaged but DH says I need to be maternal.

Comments

hereiam's picture

Your husband should be teaching his daughter how to be respectful to others, especially adults.

She yelled at you for not saying hi to her mom? Hell, no.

Your husband blames you for not trying hard enough but it's okay for his daughter to completley ignore you and your daughter?

Seriously, what world does he live in?

Steptalker2's picture

SD also told me that her mom can do everything for her and she doesn’t need me to do it such as one time DH told me to take her shopping for a dress she needed for church because we had her the few days before she was to light the candles at church. DH has also told me on several occasions that I’m not their mom. I’m fine with it because I am too busy mothering my own DD. But then he wants me to be nurturing and maternal. I told him this is like I’m between a rock and a hard place.

Steptalker2's picture

I told him what she told me and I did not take her shopping. Now he wants me to take her shopping.

ntm's picture

Learn to use this word: No. Your DH sounds like a dictator. 

She has a mother. It’s not you. So just no to all the mother/daughter activities he’s trying to force on you. 

Winterglow's picture

^^THIS. Not to mention the hornets nest this could stir up if bm finds out you're doing mother-daughter type stuff ... There's a potential for WWIII there.

Steptalker2's picture

Yes when she yelled at me I talked very calmly to her like she was the child that she is and her dad watched me very carefully to make sure I was responding nicely to her. Now at kid events she makes sure to ignore me (when she’s going with her mom on mom weekends). I don’t really mind because DH and I sit very far from her and her mom.

Monkeysee's picture

He’s told you you’re not their mom yet still expects you to be maternal towards them? Right.. he seemed to be doing alright at first by removing BM from the calendar instead of you but it stopped there. He’s the problem, not you or your SD. He needs to both be a better father who teaches his kids respect, and a better partner to you. 

shamds's picture

great he can start with being paternal and parental and actually parent his kid. 

Sd yelled at you for not acknowledging her mum because she needs you to remember you are down low in the pecking order after bio mum, sd, dad, other family then you. 

My sd’s ranted on and on about bio mum and stepdad and told me what they were gonna do to my toddlers against my specific rules on so called qualify family time. I have refused to attend for a year now because as long as they behave like disrespectful little shits, i do not waste my or my kids time

lieutenant_dad's picture

Does he expect you to be maternal because he acts paternal to your DD? Does he have his own self-imposed ideal as "bonus dad" with her? What's your relationship like with SS?

I get why parents get upset when their spouse disengages from their kid. It causes tension and hurts. But, that's when a parent needs to step in and figure out the situation for themselves. Did their spouse disengage because their kid is a royal a-hole, or was their spouse never engaged in the first place? Is the disengagement new or did it develop over time? Is it disengagement or outright exclusion? Did they and their spouse discuss what they each expected from one another when it came to kids and parenting, or was it just expected that everyone would just fill in their gender-driven roles in this hodge-lodged assembled "nuclear" family?

You can try changing the narrative. When he comes at you to be more maternal, turn that back into a discussion on family values and roles:

"DH, let's talk about what it means to be a blended family to us. I don't expect you to be a bonus dad to my daughter, and I don't expect to be a bonus mom to your kids. Each of our kids has two loving parents, and our presence as adults in their lives, to me, should show that a healthy relationship between adults can form even in stressful family circumstance like a remarriage. Our kids want us, their biological parent, to be their caregivers when in our care. SD wants YOU to take her dress shopping. She wants YOU to stick around and make lunch with her. She is here to spend time with YOU and form a strong PATERNAL bond with you like she has formed a MATERNAL bond with her mother. That paternal bond has to be formed over both activities you like AND she likes, not just the ones you are comfortable with. SD will be less combative if she knows coming to you means time with you and not you trying to force her into a maternal relationship with a woman who isn't her mother."

If that doesn't resonate, then go further:

"DH, I have no interest in putting both SD and I in situationd where we are awkward and uncomfortable. Forcing a relationship isn't going to make one form. Your daughter is her own person with her personality and her own wants out of relationships with other people. I am not one of her people, and that is fine. What I would prefer you focus on with her is helping her learn to be respectful to those around her that she doesn't like. Ignoring someone who she is spending time with as part of a larger group is disrespectful and rude, whether it's to me or another person. If you would be ashamed of her treating another person in the same manner, then please be ashamed when she behaves that way to the person you promised to love and cherish until death."

If he starts pointing out instances where you were disrespectful to his daughter, admit to them:

"You're right, DH. I could have handled that better. In the future, I will say hello to SD" or "DH, let's talk about where we differ on this being disrespectful".

If all else fails and there is no talking to DH about your expectations of stepparenthood, then there is the approach of agree to disagree. He can either learn to accept that these are your views and they are unlikely to change, or he can work with you on a compromise.

Please notice that I said "compromise". I don't ever think that a SP has to engage in parenting, but I do think they have a role in helping make their spouse's family feel comfortable, and vice versa. Even if you don't view the SKs are members of your own family, you have to recognize that they are members of your spouse's similar to your in-laws. Whatever level of engagement you have with the in-laws, including social pleasantries, should extend to SKs. The frequency of interaction between both groups is different, and the role of SK in your home is different (guest vs resident), but the same social cues should be displayed. Say hello, politely excuse yourself, request a time limit on usage of common areas for one-on-one conversations (i.e. DH and SKs shouldn't take over the living EOWE while you're stuck only being able to watch TV or read in your own room for 72 hours straight), and discuss who is cooking before folks arrive. 

Additionally, something I have always admired about my DH is the level of respect her expects from his kids to me. They can be little a-holes with him and he'll have talks with them and punish accordingly. One wrong word to me, though, and he rains hellfire and brimstone onto their little worlds. Respecting me trumps everything. Make sure you take a similar approach with your DD to your DH. You chose your DH, and he shouldn't have to deal with an unruly SK anymore than you should. Even if he won't reciprocate, it's good for your DD to know that relationships mean business to you, and she will be respectful of your personal decisions even if she doesn't like it.

Finally, if every conversation, compromise, and pleasantly fails, then resort to total disengagement and tell your DH why. If he isn't willing to meet halfway - and meeting halfway doesn't mean he does more for your DD and only keeps SS in line while SD acts like a mini-wife - then the consequences are that you remove that limb of his family tree from your life.

I know this advice doesn't fit with the typical mantra of this site, but I personally would rather find balance in my relationship versus going scorched earth. If I have to go scorched earth, I'd rather just leave. Nothing says I have to stay, and if my only option for peace is to disengage from my DH, too, because he won't put me first, then it's just over.

Steptalker2's picture

He’s got a normal relationship with DD. She spends a lot of time in her room doing homework and basically talking to her friends on the phone and sometimes she is snippy with me like SD is. He does do things for her like drop her off at school with the rest of the kids in the house and pick her up etc. he’s a good step dad. But the difference is DD has actual conversations with him and is generally polite to everyone hi’s bye’s etc. she’s not perfect by all means but she does interact with everyone. I’ve had talks with her to be nice to stepdad  and how mom is now jn a new relationship be nice to stepdad and step siblings etc and she is generally non opinionated about my choices but I don’t think he has these conversations with his kids about teaching them how to behave. He gets mad at me when I try to comment on things his daughter has said to me. She is very rude and will say things like “the funnest thing I did this week was lunch with my family ” knowing that me nor DD was not a part of this family lunch. He says she’s just a kid and sharing her true thoughts don’t take it personally but she will give me a snide look when she says things like that and it happens all the time. At New Year’s Eve dinner she said the best time she has all year was on her trip with DH and brother. Ugh. It’s fine for a kid to enjoy their time with their biological family but I taught DD to be more considerate. I took DD to universal studios this summer and we do not mention it to SD and SS because they were jealous and they never asked us how it went.

Steptalker2's picture

She also makes jabs at me like “really, you would eat that? That’s disgusting”  “No I’d rather do that with my mom” “yes like your perfect little daughter” “That’s stupid” etc

CLove's picture

What a snot. Shes a jerk. OK, plain and simple. And your DH is allowing all this, but not correcting her and instead going on the attack with you. I see how this will eventually play out - you are excluded from everything, and are forced to form your own family unit with your bios, and this will lead to endless arguments over the years. Just no - you know her comments are super mean and rude, yet your partner in life doesnt acknowledge it. Is she his little favorite? Did she rule the roost until you came in? Its  a shame you moved so quickly, before selling and moving in with them. Also - it is HIGHLY reccomended that you sell both homes and get a "yours home", so that you can start fresh.

The most concerning isnt SD, and her crappy comments, but your DH's reaction to them. He gets MAD when she is rude, but wants you to be more maternal (ie kiss her not-so-sweet a$$). Translation, he wants you to be a doormat. My thoughts are "yeah, id rather hug a cactus...

I have 2 SD, the eldest was always rude to me, although in less direct ways that became more direct over time. Her father wouldnt really allow her to disrespect me directly. But she was snotty and VERY backstabbing and trash talked me behind my back. I disengaged early on, when she was about 16 ish.

My advice is to try some couples counseling if possible. Try communicating. Things like this will get WORSE not better, and especially since no one thinks what she is doing is at all wrong. The comments wont stop. I mean, you could have a HuGE reaction rather than be calm, but then your DH will lash out at YOU. You obviously want to keep things peaceful..

Booboobear's picture

Who are you, The Cinderella?

"Yes when she yelled at me I talked very calmly to her....." 

..."and her dad watched me very carefully to make sure I was responding nicely to her."

what about not responding to her yelling, and instead turning to DH and hold him responsible for her actions.     "um.....your daughter yelled at me....?"

and if no response from DH,       "um...are you ok with that?"