The holiday season. Aka steplife hell
Yea low I got use to BM dropping SD 15 on anyone she could every single holiday . For weeks at a time and dodging spending time with her child for thanksgiving or Christmas. It was always the excuse " well I'm not doing anything so she would have more fun with you guys" well now that SD 15 is old enough to voice her thoughts turns out that NO she would rather not spend the whole holiday with us and I was shocked ( well not really) that SD only come around on Christmas Eve for about 3 hours to collect her gifts and go. Since then that's how it's been with SD, only comes around when it's her birthday to collect her gifts and we don't see her . The excuse was that she had volleyball, so okay she had games on DH weekend so we wouldn't see her ( she lives 3 hours away) we thought ok when volleyball season is over maybe she will come and NOPE not at all but we still stuck to her visitation schedule but since we have 3 other children ( one BS13) it makes it easier for us to plan things such as family things . Well now SD wants pick when she comes . So today is her weekend to come and she wants to come on thanksgiving weekend ans wants DH to pick her up on thanksgiving day! This is a issue because of the long drive and we have to drive 1 hour to SIL house for thanksgiving lunch so no that won't work for us! So besides that I guess I don't mind her coming to e Friday after thanksgiving but I think it's important we stick to the schedule . If we didn't have other kids I probably wouldn't care . Thoughts?
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Not sure
I'm not sure whether it's "stick with the legal schedule no matter what" or acknowledging that she's a teen beginning to have her own life. But, I'm not crazy about a 15-yo dictating what a family of 5 other people should do that disrupts their holiday plans.
Yes fully agree and the
Yes fully agree and the trouble is that she is been doing it so long she has no cares about anyone's life but her own. I do understand that she has her own life so it's like ok if you have plans and you don't come then fine but we will see you one your next schedule visit . You know?
I would say if she wants to
I would say if she wants to come to your house on Thanksgiving and it's a 3 hour drive then it needs to be on your terms. For example if you are having a big dinner on one day then explain to her she'd need to come the day before, at least and be driven home the day after (or whatever works for you based on what she has going on.) If she tries to argue and change your plans then don't agree. Just say that doesn't work.
Don't allow her to dictate. Not with such a long distance involved and on a holiday.
Eta if you have a normal
Eta if you have a normal weekend schedule that she is supposed to be following I would just tell her that if she wants to come on Thanksgiving weekend then it shall follow the regular schedule of how your weekends work, or something to that effect.
Yea she basically told DH
Yea she basically told DH when she can come . She said she can't come this weekend ( the CO is every other weekend) but she can come on Thursday she doesn't want to come before Thursday. I told DH that if BM is coming into town then she can drop SD with us on thanksgiving
Agree + devil's advocate
I agree with the no long distance driving on Thanksgiving. But, to be SD's devil's advocate, at 15, she might not understand how that long drive would play havoc with your plans. As a 15yo, I doubt if I'd have given it one second's thought. I was squarely concerned with my own life.
Yea I mean she knows it's
Yea I mean she knows it's thanksgiving and she knows the drive is far because she complains about it all the time lol but I guess all we can do is inform her that not sorry it not work because of this reason and put it back on BM. BM has family where we live so I'm not sure why she is not coming
Maybe she doesn't get it but
Maybe she doesn't get it but at that age it can be explained to her that it's a long drive and you have a large dinner planned. That if she wants to come it must be from period X to period Y. Because that is what works with the adults that are driving. (in other words, take it or leave it,... It is what it is.).
There is only one option. And that is it.
Absolutely stick the the
Absolutely stick the the schedule. To the point that if BM fails to surrender the SKid per the COd schedule your SO smacks BM with a contempt motion. Every time. Kids being minors, do not get to choose so the violation of the CO is on the parent failing to surrender the child. In my legal layman's opinion that is.
Have the SKid see the violating mommy or daddy get their skivvies in a twist over having to respond to a court motion each and every time the SKid does not arrive as scheduled. Every..... single...... time.
If the SKid just shows for gifts, make sure they get a card with nothing but a curt, short holiday or celebration message in it and tell them that since they are making the relationship transactional that they will earn gifts by absolute compliance with the visitation schedule. No visits, no gifts. Have a stack of bundled cash on the table and point out that had they maintained the visitation schedule with a positive pleasant demeanor for the entire duration of the CO up to that point, that would have been their gift.
KISS
As for BM dumping and running on their own COd SKid time. Make sure the court knows about that too. Though in our case the moron in the idiot bottom 10%er of the legal profession family law judge in the Harry Potter robes slinging the wooden Fisher-Price toddler's hammer could give a flying rat's shit about the violating parent dumping the kid on anyone and everyone they could victimize with their idiocy by dumping the kid. For 16+ years of visitation our kid saw his Spermidiot only a few hours per visit. Summer visit was 5wks and rarely did SS see his "dad" more than a few hours over the entire visit. If they bothered to take the visit at all. When SS was a toddler, the SpermGreatGrandParents on both sides were his primary caretakers and interface during a visit. After the SGGPs kicked the bucket then it was the SGPs and primarily only SpermGrandHag that had any interface with SS while on visitation. SpermGrandPa was not a fan of my SKid and was far more interested in Spermidiot spawn #2 who is the only female loin product of the Spermidiot. That probably should not be surprising as SpermGrandPa dotes on his daughter and the Spermidiot has always been an embarrassment to his own father. SS being the male product of a detested male child and SpermGrandMa paying SS's CS and paying for all of the visitation travel pissed SpermGrandPa off to no end. He took it out on my kid.
Anyway, when we became aware that SS was not seeing his "father" during visitation we petitioned the court to end all visitation or order that visitation was actually spent with the Spermidiot. The robed moron yawned and told us that the "respondent" could dump the kid on anyone he wanted to and did not have to see the kid at all. His time, he could dispose of as he wished.
Over the 16+ years SS and DW (and me) lived under a CO there were a number of periods of a year or more when all visitation was refused. There was also a period of 2yrs when the Spermidiot moved to the opposite coast without informing my DW and SS flew to SpermLand for visitation when his SpermDad was 3000 miles away. Over the course the CO years we have no idea how many years that SS did not lay an eye on the SpermIdiot or hear his gangbanger wannabe voice.
One of my vindictive SParent fantasies has been to go to law school for a JD when I retire then to be a pro bono PITA attorney supporting quality side BioParents and blended families in exsanguinating the toxic side with overwhelming displays of the facts and putting their bared toxic asses on display. Unfortunately I don't have the vulgar levels of wealth it would take to have the most fun with it.
Take Back Your Parental Power
A 15 year old does not dicate orders to parents. Here is your opportunity to turn the table. She wants to come for Thanksgiving? Then you and your DH discuss, pick the day that works best for him to pick her up and give said date to CHILD. If it doesn't work, then she misses Thanksgiving with you. I'd also have a firm RETURN DATE so she is clearly aware. Want to leave early? BM needs to come get you.
You and your DH have all the power here....please use it and get the 15 year old straight on how you will handle visits from here out. If not, you'll be dealing with this for decades.
Or.... the kid shuts up and
Or.... the kid shuts up and does what it is told. No choice, no tolerance, no quarter. Bring the pain. They choose the pain or they choose to comply and have a pleasant outcome. Their choice is to suffer or not. They get no choice on coming or not ,or on when they will come. The CO is the law. Enforce the law.
KISS
IMHO
Yup we have been dealing with
Yup we have been dealing with it for so long already . DH has gotten a bit better about putting his foot down but BM and SD like to guilt DH by saying " SD has not been over in a while " well yes, because SD chooses not to, are we surprise to jump when she says ? This is a DH problem as well because he makes excuses for SD not coming or maybe he is in denial. He says "oh SD is not coming because she has a school thing or game" when really the deal has been over for months and she just flat out doesn't want to come . I don't see how it will work for her to come on thanksgiving unless BM drives her here . SD can come Friday but again it's not DH weekend , this weekend is his time have her so I dunno ..
That's why i'm "Team CO". If
That's why i'm "Team CO". If you insist it's folllowed from the start, then if they want to make little changes during the teenage years, it's not as bad. But in this case, the CO was thrown out the window years ago. It becomes to the point that SD and/or BM are calling the shots, tossing the poor bastard crumbs of time at their convenience and if he doesn't just say "yes ma'am", he doesn't see skids at all. Kind of like Rocky Roads situation. That sucks for the bioparent who just gets crumbs but sucks even worse for the stepparent. I would take more time with skids with predictability over less time but never knowing when your plans may be disrupted last minute at the whim of BM or SD. Teens are inherently selfish but it's a parent's job to parent that out of them. Do what works for you guys and have DH explain to SD how a 3-hour drive to pick her up affects the plans of DH, OP, and 3 other children.
Yea that's exactly how it has
Yea that's exactly how it has been, DH begging for the crumbs . And when BM announces "Sd will finally be visiting you this weekend !l" like we should be so grateful. If I were DH I would simply say " well she should be coming when she is suppose to " it just doesn't work from SD to come on thanksgiving unless BM is driving here . That's pretty much it . If DH wants to get her the Friday after thanksgiving, then that is on him. But I'm with you, I would take more time with SD then less time and unpredictable schedules
You are playing her games
Just NO. you are not playing taxi on Thanksgiving day. Not driving 3 + hours traffic each way to have her for a hour. She makes other arrangements or stays with BM. Stop it ... stop the crazy train
Yup agree, I'm sure DH get
Yup agree, I'm sure DH get the usually pressure from MIL and SIL "why isn't SD here for thanksgiving " they have no concept of what a CO is.
This is a game DH will never
This is a game DH will never win. BM sets up a test for him using SD as a pawn. If he follows thru , she sends SD all riled up and it's a rotten experience. DH doesn't play the games and SD gets her head filled with " he doesn't love you, you've been replaced by new kids". Blah blah blah.
The only way to "win" this game is take back control over your life and say yes or no for your own benefit. Compromises with dysfunction people are not true compromises. This is why the recommendation to follow the CO is stressed. " sorry you can't make it this time ,we will miss you, see you next time" is a great answer to a busy teen.
BM is doing this just to be a PITA and retain control over her ex. She's like a cat playing with a dead mouse.
Yup BM has been using SD as a
Yup BM has been using SD as a pawn for so long it's so unhealthy . Last time BM texted DH some long story about her own life and struggles lol in which DH didn't even reply . I'm not even sure why she thought DH would even wanna hear her BS like he was a friend or something . I guess she got hurt he didn't care because that was the last time she texted him lol. But yea it's just not gonna work for us to drive to get SD on thanksgiving even if we are doing dinner around 5pm. If any of his family complains I'll be sure to ask if any of them would do the drive. They, just like BM thinks DH should be the one to do it all. It's judy stressful.