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What EXACTLY does Disengaging involve...??

Wishitwasdifferent's picture

Hi Guys

Just gearing up for SD weekend and already dreading it. Only EOW but enough for me!

Anyway I am trying hard to cope with the situation, can you tell me axactly what disengaging involves? I hardly do anything for SD anymore, don't offer to take her out or buy her things like I used to, I don't make conversation with her anymore unless she talks first which is rare unless she wants something and when SO tells me that she hasn't been to school or BM has treated her in away SO does not agree with I no longer comment, just listen. I don't organise holidays anymore like I ised to for SD to be involved with or days out or weekends away, I only organise things for me and SO to do when she is not here.

Am I disengaged?

Anything you do, that I don't?

Comments

Helena.Handbasket's picture

Sounds about right. You kinda have to feel through your particular situation. here is my list.

Things I no longer do
1. Wash Dishes that SO and skids make
2. Getting used towels that SD leaves in her room from the weekend
3. Getting dishes left in their rooms
4. Their laundry before they go back to BM
5. Give advice or input in conversation with skids
6. Have conversations with skids.
7. Give input or advice to SO. If asked, I give the most objective and brief answer possible.
8. Correct their inappropriate behavior, burping at the table, rude comments about other people etc.
9. Spend the whole weekend with skids. I do one activity maybe two. Other than that I find something else to do.
10. Put items away that are left on bathroom or kitchen counter
11. Clean for their visit. Whatever cleaning is done is what I would do normally whether they are coming or not.
12. Do favors or parental duties, e.g. Teach SD how to drive, take her to the mall, or entertain her because SO wants to spend time with SS or run his own errands.
13. respond to any negative behavior, eye rolling, huffing, etc.
14. watch or listen to material with skids that makes me uncomfortable because it is age inappropriate.
15. Cook unless SO helps with cooking and clean up.

What I will do
1. If skid asks for medical attention, I will give it
2. If skid talks to me to joke in a friendly manner with me or to ask about me, i will respond in kind.
3. If skid talks to me disrespectfully, they will be told they can cease talking to me until they want to do so respectfully.
4. If skid enters a room i will say hello if I have yet to acknowledge their presence for that day. -- Scratch that. I stopped. They speak to me first now.
5. If skid asks a general question and SO is not around, i will answer. If its for permission or something more involved, I will send them to their dad.
6. If skid invites me to play an activity outside, I will do so. AS long as we are all being respectful of one another.
7. Leave the room if I find any topic of conversation uncomfortable, inappropriate. If I can't leave the room, my headphones go with me (car situations) and those go on.

I retain the right to remove myself from any duties or situations where I feel I am not being respected or appreciated.

Kes's picture

Yes, you are disengaged, well done! It is really up to each person to decide how far they are going to take their disengaging. For example, I don't go away on holiday, or even on weekends away with DH and the SDs. I just used to find it not enjoyable at all. SD15 would sabotage everything since the time I first met her at 5 years old. I don't let the SDs have my cell phone no, and I don't ferry them around in the car. I don't go anywhere with them and DH EOW. Whenever possible, I don't even eat with them, as SD15 shows off obnoxiously at the dinnertable and gives me indigestion! If we do all eat together, at the first sign of bad behaviour, I leave the room. It sends a VERY obvious message to DH that I am pissed off.
There is an article you might want to read on the subject http://www.steptogether.org/disengaging.html
PS I see my friend Helena has just posted - I do very similar to her, especially in the what I WILL do list. What I won't do - no9 - I don't do ANY activities with the SDs, at all. Not fun, not worth my effort.

Kenna's picture

Thank you for sharing that link! I am new to the disengaging process and that essay was VERY helpful. I can't wait to share it with SO.

Helena.Handbasket's picture

I have to agree. Some of us have experienced SO's negativity at our disengagement. There are others who have been able to "come clean" and it works too though.

Only you know him best. I thought honesty was best, but that was not the case for me. SO got really mad when I told him what I was going to do. So I had to slowly disengage and not become so obvious. I find actions are much better at getting your point across than words.

Helena.Handbasket's picture

Yes that can happen too! I had to do things slowly so as not to bring on a lot of attention. As far as PASing my own bio, that is a fight with SO right there. No way.

I've never denied to him that I have no interest in SD and at times don't like her (I try to remain indifferent). Whatever he wants to do with that knowledge is on him. He had every opportunity to leave and has not chosen to.

Kenna's picture

Since I have found this site I have shared it with him. We use it together as a tool to help us both be better parents to our own kids and to deal with my opinions of his parenting. He knows it gives me a 'vent' and that helps me to keep from yelling at him lol I even read my blogs to him, I clean up the language a bit Smile I read him the responses, whether they agree with me or not. It has been the BEST thing for our relationship, he sees that I am not completely wrong, that others share my opinion (that I am not crazy lol). He has been more open to change and it has helped our communication immensely. We have openly discussed my disengagement, what it means to me and how it changes the way things work in our house. Things are FAR from perfect, but we have started to learn how to do this together...so I share. I am one of those overly honest people and I would never be able to say something bad about him or his kids that I wasn't prepared to say in front of him. We are taking baby steps, but I think that without all of your advice and help that we receive on this site we would of thrown in the towel months ago! (lol I will let you know if after I show him the article I was wrong about the entire sharing thing Lol

Kes's picture

I didn't tell my DH I was going to disengage - it was nearly 9 years ago, and I did not even know then that there was a term for it. I just did it instinctively. I would not advise anyone to announce their intention of disengaging to their partner - it can seem like throwing down the gauntlet, and achieves nothing. Just do it, very, very slowly.