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The Children Are Acting Like Assholes - a new book

marie_aaron's picture

Submitted by marie_aaron on Wed, 06/30/2021 - 7:06pm

Hi all,

I'm new here, and I hope this is okay to post. I'm a stepmom and a new author. I just published my first book, called The Children Are Acting Like Assholes. The tagline sums up the last 10 years of my life: What do you do when the man of your dreams comes with two angry kids and a crazy ex-wife? 

The ebook is free on Amazon through midday tomorrow: https://www.amazon.com/Children-Are-Acting-Like-Assholes-ebook/dp/B097S7...  

Forgive the self-promotion, but I thought a lot of you here might relate. It's a real and raw story, but written with a lot of humor and love.

Please grab a free copy and leave a review!

Thanks!

Comments

Stepdrama2020's picture

Submitted by Stepdrama2020 on Wed, 06/30/2021 - 7:35pm

I am sure it will be a best seller on here!

 

CLove's picture

Submitted by CLove on Thu, 07/01/2021 - 3:25pm

I have a head cold Im battling right now, so I have some time. Im on the chapter titled "The children are acting like A$$holes".

So many things that you experienced, are the standards of our steplife. This chapter touches a sore spot because many times SD15 Backstabber/Munchkin has told her mother things simply to feed into Toxic Troll's hatred of me, painting me in a bad light for no reason, but they get rewarded by moms encouragement I suppose.

Nice writing so far - I am engaged.

I will leave a review...here and on amazon, with a link.

CLove's picture

Submitted by CLove on Thu, 07/01/2021 - 5:11pm

It feels like someone read the blogs on this site and reconstructed an amalgamation of all of our experiences put together.

marie_aaron's picture

Submitted by marie_aaron on Thu, 07/01/2021 - 7:36pm

Nope, it's true. I wish it wasn't, but it is.

I'm encouraged that you said that, though. I guess I've found my people. Smile

marie_aaron's picture

Submitted by marie_aaron on Thu, 07/01/2021 - 7:40pm

I wish I'd found a forum like this 10 years ago. Back then I could barely find anyone who knew what I was going through, so to read through these posts is kind of amazing. 

And thank you for leaving a review - they help so much!

CLove's picture

Submitted by CLove on Fri, 07/02/2021 - 6:38am

So far (and Im almost finished) your story has many of the elements of what we experience in steplife. I havent gotten to the end where I find out if you and the skids are good friends and they appreciate all that you tried to do for them, or if they are alienated completely from you and your husband. I also dont know yet if you have your own bio by now...

BUT, yes you have found your people. We are a diverse group that is comprised of all ethnicities and all orientations as well as a nice combo of long-termers and newbies.Welcome to Steptalk.

There have been a few who have talked of the need for more realistic portrayals of steplife, and a few have mentiond they were writing dramatised versions, but this is the first one that Ive read so far that I can connect with, thats also entertaining, vs clinical.

So, you have more research to do! I see the following:

- Disney Dad/Guilty Dad

- Parental Alienation

- Narcissistic Triangulation (especially with the eldest being the ringleader), and then of course the mother.

- With the other couple - mini wife

- Loyalty binds- especially apparent when they cold-shouldered you - mom makes them feel guilty for liking/loving you, plays helpless victim for sympathy.

If you read my blogs (a long read Im 4 plus years here!) there are some eerie similarities (beyond the two sdaughters) - Toxic Troll Bm in my world is suing the local school system for a head injury that happened 4 years ago. Shes not been working for over 2 years now. So I paid attention when your husband went back to court to get the child support lowered. Unfortunately, TT has been going to doctors, has an actual lawyer and binders of records of her injury and the "gross negligence" of her previous employer. Shes managed to get money from them as well as spousal support for 3 years 11 months and now child support for the past 3 years. And only 2 years and 10 months to go on that.

In our situation, the BM TT only threatens when I overstep my boundaries or she doesnt get what she wants. Things are generally civil and shes a lot more relaxed that in your situation. The control structure is way less. The Skids DO indeed like to "play the houses" against each other, when it suits them. Generally there is a goal, its not just for fun. Like recently when SD15 (hard age!!!) activated her mother against me...basically cut our relationship off. But she got what she wanted, which was to keep her phone and get me out of her school business (long story...I stuck my neck out and my head got chopped off, but its all laid out in my blogs)

So, hopefully you stick around for more than a few reviews!!! Welcome to the site.

 

marie_aaron's picture

Submitted by marie_aaron on Sat, 07/03/2021 - 6:11pm

Yeah, I've been poking through the site reading the posts, and it is almost overwhelming to me. I didn't have any of this camaraderie when I was in the thick of it, and meeting another stepmom was like finding gold! 

Good luck with SD15. That is a tough age. (They're all tough ages, what am I saying?) My two SDs are 18 & 20 and out of the house now... and it changes everything. We still have our challenges (with SD18 especially), and I think life will take us further apart before it brings us back together, but... we did our best. Now my husband and I can focus more on each other.

Glad to find this community!