Good morning, fellow STalkers,

I have been gone for quite a while, but I figured that I would drop in and see how things are on the board. For those who don't remember me (probably most of the people on here now), my SD17 moved in with her "perfect" bio-daddy back in February, after DW and bio-daddy discovered that SD17 had been cutting class, smoking pot, secretly dating gang-bangers, and nearly flunking out of school. Bio-daddy finally stepped up, and had SD17 move in with him.

It turns out that the change of scenery really has improved things. SD17 is doing a lot better in school, has been dating decent guys, and is not doing drugs anymore. I attribute this 100% to bio-daddy being a disciplinarian and hard-ass, which is a complete 180 from my DW, who is a card-carrying "friend parent." She still acts like a complete brat when she comes for her once-monthly visits, but I can handle a couple of days a month. Also, I travel a lot for work, and DW comes with me. Sometimes she just goes home to see SD17, rather than bringing her out to see us on the road.

For those who are struggling through step-hell, just remember that it does, in some cases, get better. I'm not a sunshine pumper, and I know that many are in situations that may never improve. However, I would have put myself in that latter category until Pot-Gate, as I never dreamed that SD17 would go live with her bio-daddy. For those who are unhappy, you never know when your "someday" will arrive, and the skid problem with be gone or significantly improved.

Sadly, it does seem necessary to pretty much get the skids out of the picture in order to see an improvement. For years, I have worked to prepare DW for a future that does not include adult Skids living with us, because I know that they often never leave. If I could give one bit of advice for those who have no chance of ridding yourself of skids while they are in high school, at least make sure that they do not stick around after that.

On another note, it is sad to see long time posters like Maux, Draco, and AngryStepDad gone. Reading their stories was really cathartic, and helped me a lot. I hope that we have new posters stepping up these days.