There already was Christmas music playing at a store today - Perry Como’s Home of the Holidays. It got me thinking that this illusion of the perfect Christmas the media has been trying to sell for the last century is so completely unattainable in today’s day and age with blended families.

We try to stage this perfect Christmas event that fits with this image of Christmas we’re indoctrinated with, but it’s never going to work with a blended family.

There’s no longer the family gathered around a Christmas tree or the dinner table like in a Normal Rockwell painting.

I was wondering what’s normal with long distance visitation schedules.

My DH doesn’t have a formal custody arrangement - his 15 year old daughter is currently living with her aunt and uncle out of state because she was so hateful and disrespectful towards me in my home that I would not allow her to continue live with us. (The BM had her parental rights terminated and is out of the picture).

It’s amazing how often stepparents are the only people who are able to see see through all the lies, manipulation, deceit and general BS and see skids for what they truly are when no one else can.

SD15 can’t even pass an art class. She was taking six classes, failed five of them and only passed PE (amazing!)

It’s no wonder, since she absolutely refuses to do anything at school. She won’t do homework, doesn’t even both to do tests or quizzes or turn in assignments. I can’t believe how ridiculously easy it is to just scrape by these days in high school with binder checks and ability to retake tests and redo homework until its 100% correct. But no, SD doesn’t bother. School is beneath her.