So I have stepped well back and do nothing for and with the skids. I will do dinners for ALL the family, outings for ALL the family but when it's just them - nope - not interested.

He had them for a few hours yesterday, but just after he picked them up had to pop into work for an emergency (he worked all day Saturday as well, and does 14 hour days all week) I think his plan for yesterday HAD been to just hang out at home and relax, God knows he needs it. Knowing it would be a skid day I had made my own list of things I wanted to get done that didn't involved any of them; dd's were at Disney rehearsals.

So. He got home from picking kids up and tells me something came up at work - he grabbed a bite to eat, packed the skids into the truck and off they went, he did say he would pop in with them to see his mum as she's only 15 minutes from his work (nursing home)

He got home about 4 hours later. Kids march sullen faced through the lounge (where I was sitting sorting recipes) So, as is their usual practice, they come in the front door, round the corner into the lounge, sullen faces on, ignore me, march through the room and upstairs they go. Nothing unusual or different there...

OH walks in after them and looks upset. I asked how their day had been, did they get the stuff at work sorted etc.

He says "yes, sort of - they're going to have a late night (building a new machine which needs to be up and running by this morning) We went to see mum, that was fine. But the kids aren't talking to me now. They had been nagging me that they wanted to "do something" (skid speak for "spend lots of money on us Dadddddyyyyyyyy!) I told them no, but they carried on and moaned and nagged and went on and on about this indoor rock climbing place they wanted to go to. I told them that we would check it out today, and MAYBE go back there in a few months with ALL of the family. I said over and over that we wouldn't be DOING it today as I had no money. They agreed to that, so we went. Once we got there they started carrying on about wanting to do it right then - I don't know how they even could have - have you seen the shoes SD14 is wearing!! I kept saying no, we would come back another time but NOT today. They whinged and moaned and carried on so I made them get back in the truck! They are now angry at me and haven't spoken to me all the way home!"

(I was secretly thinking - considering how much noise these two usually make in the car that would be my idea of a good result!)

He said "I just wanted to hang out and spend some time with them, it shouldn't have to be always all about me taking them special places and spending money on them!"

As much as I felt sorry for him, a part of me was secretly going "NOW do you see what you have created?"