It's nearly the end of our week with SD8, as she goes to her mom's this afternoon.

She was great all week, through Friday when we left on a weekend trip to see my extended family several hours away. But I swear through the weekend and so far today I could/can not stand her behavior. Rude, mean, messy, disrespectful, and my fiance (FDH) did not even notice. He was preoccupied with working while on the road, interacting with my family (he's not a very social person), and the travel logistics.

I don't know what the problem was! she was great and very polite last year on the same occasion. This year she was the worst behaved child there, and the oldest so there is no excuse! The younger ones adore her, since she is a "big" cousin, and the 1-year-old tried to sit on her lap on the ground outside -- she literally stood up as he tried to sit down, leaving him to tumble over in the grass. Luckily he wasn't hurt but it was so rude and mean. Her dad seems to think it is understandable that she doesn't like little kids, cause she has a little 1-year-old sister at her mom's house that she is very jealous of and won't interact with. He makes that an excuse for her.

I think it is downright dangerous not to correct this kind of behavior, and a total lack of parental responsibility on FDH and BM's parts not to insist that she treat smaller children with kindness and care. They seem to think she will do it automatically as she gets older. i think she needs to be told what is right. I told her, and some of my family (who are not shy to correct any child) told her that she must be nice to the smaller kids. But she was so rude and gave such attitude about it! A big sigh, eye roll and "okaaaaay, FINE!" I was ashamed of her, honestly.

The rudeness extended through this morning when FDH made a blanket tent for her and she called out to him, loudly so I could hear, "stepsoftly will never make a tent as cool as this!" I looked at her, no smile, and said, "excuse me? Why would you say that? It was very rude." FDH's response was to laugh and say "That was mean, SD8!" in a kind of shake-your-head, gee-golly-the-things-kids-say tone.

Anyway -- I am having trouble responding politely to her today, and this is one of the times I will be glad when she goes to her mom's. Sometimes I miss her, but this weekend was too much.