need some words of encouragement...don't know how to do this
i am blessed with a wonderful fiance and and amazing stepdaughter who i love and who loves me too. if it were just the three of us and our dog in life (until FH and i have little ones of our own come along of course) i would be content forever. but unfortunately that is not so.
not only have i dealt with a bitter, jealous, vindictive, conniving, spiteful BM for the past three years since i have been with my FH, but for some reason my FH's family has been having a problem with me lately as well. it's an extremely long and drawn out story if i gave the entire background...but i will try and shorten it to say things have gone really south with BM lately and it is partly my fault...but that all depends on how you look at the situation.
basically BM was denying my FH his court ordered time as she does whenever she feels the whim, and i- along with FH and his family- had had ENOUGH. but as usual NONE of them including my FH was willing to stand up and say how they felt about it. i am not the type of person who can do that. i stand up for my feelings and if i think something is wrong i am going to tell you about it. that may be immaturity on my part, and i can admit that...i am only 21 after all and new at this, but it doesn't change the fact that if i feel that strongly about something i cannot sleep at night until i've had my say.
but anyway after she said he wasn't getting his time I did the footwork and I went to see our lawyer and get a copy of the paperwork that would hopefully prove to her that she was wrong in thinking she could deny this visitation, and when i did get the proof i sent her a text to let her know i would have the papers for her when i came to pick up SD that weekend. the conversation immediately turned to how horrible of a father my FH is and she started spewing her lies and exaggerations calling him a worthless sperm donor and telling me SD told her that she never wanted to see FH or i again and that FH is mean to her and doesn't spend any time with her and that SD knows that FH will never love her as much as she loves him...all this type of shit. well of course i came to his defense and told her how wrong she was and at this point i was angry so i started to point out things that SD has told us and that she and her family are not perfect and shouldn't pretend to be and i brought up the fact that she had just a few days before that gotten food from a mutual friend of the both of ours because no one in their household had been working and they couldn't even afford to feed SD!
so there was this whole blowout between she and i and how it eventually stopped was that she had SD who is SIX years old call my phone and leave a voicemail because i was working and couldn't answer which said that she didn't ever want to see us again and that we were stupid idiots and she was going to let her stepdad deal with me and her daddy. all words that did not sound like her own in the slightest. words that COMPLETELY contradict her actions and what she says to us when she is with us. i stopped the conversation there.
since then BM has made pick ups and drop offs a living hell. one time when they were picking her up her mother-sd's grandma- JERKED her out of my car by her arm, causing her to spill the pizza and cup of sauce she had been eating ALL OVER my car and herself while SD is crying for her to stop and saying you're hurting me...and banging on the windows of their van trying to tell me goodbye and she loves me...and then BM's mom claimed i was trying to run off with SD even though i stopped and got out of the car and could have easily left if i had wanted to. and now that things are so rocky my FH's family is blaming it all on me even though it's not me...it's BM making things impossible. all i did was defend him and i will do that time and time again...every time she cuts him down.
his family will say things to me like i don't care about SD and i'm nothing to do with her and that if my FH were to split up i would never give SD a thought again. all of those statements couldn't be further from the truth. and it hurts my feeling so much to care for this child just as much as her dad does and to be told over and over again that im nothing and i don't mean shit. i can't take it...i care SO much for this little girl and so does my FH and i don't know why BM won't just let us. and i don't know why his family doesn't want me involved with her. i want to be involved...i can't just give up on her because her mother is insane. could i please get a little help with this? am i totally wrong? i don't want to disengage but BM and his family is trying to force me.
Ok...breathe. A cpl of
Ok...breathe. A cpl of things. First of all I understand what its like to be a SM with no biologicals. It's different. I think you get attached more and really want to be the other mom. I have two SD"s...both with different BM's. You really have to respect how the BM's feel. One of my SD"s BM's wants me to know my place...she doesnt want her daughter to call me mom or think of me more then a good friend or step mom. She is definitely adamant that she doesnt want to share the mom role. It is hard but I have to respect that. If I didnt my relationship with SD would be tense and she would be stuck in the middle. My other SD"s mom thinks I am the greatest thing that could have happened for SD and not only refers to me as her other mom but includes me in most of the mom role things. I can go to school conferences, mothers day tea, she buys me mothers day gifts..etc. Shes amazing and gracious and she appreciates that I step in and mother her daughter when she cant. My point is that the BM is the BM. This is THEIR child. You really need to respect that role and if you do you will get farther. Tell BM you are not trying to replace her or be better in her childs life. It's not a competition and you dont want to be the child's mom...you just want to help FH care for kid when in his home. My In laws family have never said anything about me and SD's relationship but I do sense sometimes that it annoys them that SD calls me mom and loves me so much. I think they feel they are her blood and she hides behind my knees when acting shy towards them and it makes them feel jealous. Try to stay out of your H's dealing with his ex. They are his issues from him failed relationship with his ex. Support him and listen to him in private but when confrontation or issues are happening it has to come from him. It's his fight. It is important that although you may have your opinions you keep them to yourself. Vent them here on ST, vent to your BFF or your sister, rant to your H in private...but always avoid confrontation with the ex as absolutely no good and only more drama can come of it. Good luck!
Thank you for this wise
Thank you for this wise advise. We have let ourselves and the kids be victimized by the ex and not made reports of it. We avoid conflict too much perhaps. The kids are the victims here and we need to stand up for their rights.
Ok I agree you need to
Ok I agree you need to respect the BM's wishes too but what about the SD's? My SD's have always come to my house asking if they can call me mom. I tell them its up to them but they can just call me by name. Then they go home and get in trouble for calling me mom. It has been a heart break for the kids. Now ten years of this and the kids aren't sure how to act with me. If they are even friendly to me they fear getting in trouble. I now don't even want to be involved or present at visits for fear of hurting the kids and myself. I will stick by my H and be myself and continue to hope that my SD's will grow up knowing us for who we are.
i dont understand how i or my
i dont understand how i or my FH would be considered to be alienating SD. BM is the one who involved SD into our argument which was taking place over text messages and had her call me and say those horrible things. we NEVER badmouth BM to SD or make her feel as though she needs to choose one over the other. we tell her we would love to have her more and that when shes older if she decides she wants to stay with us she is welcome and we would be tickled. thats about it. and i didnt mean to start anything with BM...i went and got the paperwork at my FH's request, and i have to help him with this sort of thing because he works out of town during the week and is unable. and i told her about what the lawyer gave me because i wanted to see SD and i wanted my FH to have her too, and i was trying to convince BM that it would be in her best interest to give SD to me. i dont want to fight. all i want is for FH and i to get his court ordered time and for her to stop interfering.
we live in ohio and when we
we live in ohio and when we have called the police they tell us theres nothing they can do because its a civil matter and we need to contact an attorney to file contempt. but thats 750 dollars each time so she can get a slap on the wrist and to have nothing ultimately change? we cant afford that. to address one of the replies- i never try to take the place of BM or allow SD to call me mom because im not. but thats something else that pisses me off...FH's family will make their comments about me being nothing to SD and in the next turn tell me to help her shower or cut up her waffle or wipe her butt. well if THEY are the blood and im NOTHING to her why am i the one parenting her 90% of the time she is with us?! AGH!