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Rumplestiltskin's picture

Today as i'm leaving for work i get a text from SD24. "I'm coming back for a few months, can you house my 2 cats?"

Background: SD24 was living with SO when i met him. Due to lying, drugs, and fights with SO, she moved in with her grandmother, GBM1 about an hour away. That didn't work out and she ended up in an apartment with a boyfriend, ShadyGuy.

She called SO one day saying she needed help, wasn't safe. SO was at work so i drove an hour to pick her up amd bring her back to SO's house. A cop showed up with some kind of summons. We never got the full story but there was violence between SD and either ShadyGuy or his ex-gf. SO put SD24 on a plane to BM1's house in another state. SD24 left her cat with me for what was supposed to be a few months. Ended up being almost 2 years. Long enough for him to be part of the family.

A few months ago SD24 shows up saying she has a stable place to live in BM1's state and picks up the cat. It was heartbreaking to let him go, but she brought a kitten who she said needed a home and i agreed to keep it. The kitten is just beginning to adjust to my house and my existing cat. A week or so ago, SD sends me a pic of the cat i had for 2 years. In the background of the pic is ShadyGuy, barely visible in a mirror. I showed the pic to SO and he didn't mention anything about ShadyGuy.

So SD24 sends me the text today. I didn't answer but instead called SO and told him about it, and the fact that i'm not prepared to house 2 more cats for a month (likely more based on SD's history.) He said "Um, yeah, she's moving back to our state, to (name of another large city an hour away) and probably staying with me for a month until her new job starts. I told her to ask you if you can keep the cats." Um, what?! I asked him why he didn't mention it before and he said "I know how stressed you get." So it's less stressful to be blindsided? I said no about the cats and had to go to work. But then i did a maybe bad thing. I texted him the pic again and told him to look in the upper corner. He just said "what can i do?" He's planning to pay some of her living expenses to move here and he's still paying SD27's living expenses. I only know that from a text that flashed across his phone while he had it in front of me.

I don't like being kept in the dark about major issues like this. If we ever plan to get married, that won't work. Also, I foresee major drama with this move. The slow motion trainwreck that only someone in a SM-type position will acknowledge. This sucks. 

Comments

la_dulce_vida's picture

You did the right thing - you said "No" to the cats. If she's got a place to live, she's got a place for her cats. Not your problem.

#2, your partner is a knucklehead and I'm glad you have your own place.

I wouldn't even consider marriage until his adult kids are more self sufficient. That being said, my DD30 is currently living with me as she got laid off from her job in Texas. She has been actively seeking work for the last 2 months, so I don't mind supporting her while making an earnest effort to be independent again. Thankfully, while in Texas, she was fully self sufficient, so I have no reason to believe she'll need to be subsidized once she finds work.

Your partner seems to have a codependent relationship with his offspring. Would you consider not living together, ever? If you don't mind having separate homes/finances, you might be a lot happier than if you combined resources and saw him frittering his money away. I also wouldn't want to marry someone who wasn't prepared for fully funding their own retirement.

Rumplestiltskin's picture

"Would you consider not living together, ever?"

Idk. I'm only in my 40s, that seems like a long time. The thing is, i'm not opposed to helping adult kids if needed. It's the secrecy and just paying without a plan that gets me. And even if SD24 tells you her plan, 9/10 times it's a bald-faced lie. Also, today it's cats. What happens when it's children?

Winterglow's picture

Send her the addresses of a few good cat kennels/hotels. If she can't afford them then her father keeps her kitties. They are HER responsibility not yours. 

And I am very much a cat person. Gawd, don't adopt an animal if you can't take care of her/him all the time... At the very least you should have a backup or two for emergencies.

Rumplestiltskin's picture

She said she found someone to keep them. It broke my heart to say goodbye to the cat i had for almost 2 years. He was happy at my house. After that fiasco i swore never to entangle myself with SD24 again. Today it's cats. What happens when she has kids?

I'm done dealing with her BS. She lies like it's nothing. She also "sells" information to BM2 (not her mother, her former stepmother that she never lived with, only had long-distance visitation with.) BM2 invites her over when she's in town, pumps her for information, then gifts her with money. That is something SD actually admitted to. Said she "doesn't give her much info, just enough to feel it's worth it." 

Catmom024's picture

Wow, that is some really sick sh*t (with BM 2).

You're so lucky you have your own place.   My SO and I lived separately for 12 years.   We didn't move in together until his kids were independent and definitely out of the house.   I was 48.  No rush.  Enjoy your own place away from the drama.   His kids do sound a bit old to be so dependent on him.   I hope that changes. 

TrueNorth77's picture

As much as I love cats, you don't just give and take them like she is doing. My head is ready to explode just reading this and I'm not even dealing with it. You are much more patient about him funding his adult kids lives than I would be. SD24 moves all over and he pays for it? Sweet! At 27 your dad pays your bills? Must be nice! It sounds like you don't live together, so there's that, but your SO still should have told you SD was coming back and staying with him. I hate looking like a fool when skids tell me something that even they think DH should have told me, and I have no idea about. 

Rumplestiltskin's picture

It's not my money and we don't live together but this type of thing will make me not want to do those things. When we are married and do live together, moving an adult child into the home will be a huge deal. The fact that he said nothing to me about it and then directed her to ask me about the cat gives me serious concerns about how these things will be handled in the future. If i were planning something like this with one of my own kids, even though we are not cohabiting, i would talk to him about it. That his first instinct is secrecy is alarming. He hides it from me now, when it's no skin off my a$$, so what will he do when it does affect me? 

TrueNorth77's picture

Absolutely, I hate secrecy. He isn't doing himself any favors. It would also make me seriously hesitate given that he DOES fund these things for his adult kids. Imagine if you were married and/or living together and this was happening? You would be way more invested, and no doubt it would cause issues (it would for me at least, but I don't have patience for enabling certain things). Even when they are grown it seems to never end, which is my biggest fear. 

Lillywy00's picture

When we are married and do live together, moving an adult child into the home will be a huge deal. 
 

As it should be. 
 

Just reading this forum (see adult stepkids threads), knowing Disneyland parents don't magically quit their "bend over backwards "for the kids sake" shenanigans after 18, and seeing other people's home lives have been negatively affected by housing lazy stepkids with no end date just screams "relationship-ending nightmare waiting to happen"

If y'all living separately that could be why he didn't tell you 1. He deep down knows it's not something you'd agree to (especially if y'all were in the same home) 2. He doesn't feel like he has to get your approval for decisions that occur in his home. 
 

If this is a pattern now...it will be difficult to change 

I thought this same way. Maybe I'd be happier if I just lived separately from my partner till his kids turn 18. But I deep down felt resentful that my life/true desires was on hold simply because the dude lived life of catering to his failed former family out of extreme guilt/codependency/etc which absolutely was not worth me pausing my life plans. 
 

The problem is that (unless you truly don't mind living in separate home) not only do these kids remotely affect your home life (aka desires to live in same home with your man) & number two if he continues the irrational bending over backwards "for the kids sake" it becomes a habit that is hard to break. 
 

Try breaking a man's bad habits is challenging enough but trying to break a Disneyland parents unhelpful parenting habits (which in their mind is helping their kids - despite the friction/chaos/problems it creates in other areas of their lives) is like running molasses uphill in a snowstorm 

 

unless he truly understands how his parenting decisions affect not just himself but you as well AND willing to consider your needs then he's giving you a preview of what you can expect living with him (daughter using y'all's house like a free Airbnb, no real privacy with the adult kid there, possibly no end date to her tenancy, and worst of all you not being considered in these decisions that affect you/yalls relationship)

Exjuliemccoy's picture

Rump, think about how you would feel if stuff like this was still happening ten years from now.

Beause it will be with SDs like this.

We often warn new members not to marry into dysfunction, not to marry until xyz issues are resolved. So please, please take marriage to this guy off the table. He's deceptive, conflict avoidant, parents out of fear, and prioritizes his daughters' wants over your relationship. Even IF he changed (and that would take commitment to a lot of hard therapy), his daughters would continue to be problematic and they'd resent YOU for those changes.

Look at what Cajun Mom has been through. And JRI. Evil. Newimprvmodel. Disillusioned. Catmom024. The adult SDs' daddee issues continue to cause friction for decades. You deserve to be adored by a strong man who conducts himself with integrity, hun. Please keep taking care of you.

Rags's picture

If we ever plan to get married, that won't work.

Please stop torturing yourself and destroying your own life and future. Move on. This won't ever end. Regardless of if you get papers with this failed man/parent/partner or not.  What could possibly be so appealing about this guy that it counters his blatant and repeated failures?

Be good to you.

thinkthrice's picture

But as a landlady, I've find the most unstable renters have hoards of animals they can't take cate of.

Rags's picture

Sadly, non viable supposed adults often victimize animals in their non viable lives. Mistaking their animal abuse and neglect as love, care, and rescuing. They also can be on the horder side of things.

I am sure you have seen the results of both in dealing with preparing your properties.

I am sorry you have to deal with ... them. 

I am also an animal lover. I just can't have most of them in my home. Except birds, reptiles, and non alergenic cats and dogs. But.... we are not willing to limit our flexibility to let an animal run our lives.  We had Max the Senagal parrot in charge of our lives for 15 years. Loved that feathered rat to no end. But... he was demanding and required absolute adoration. If we failed, he made us pay for countless months after a violation of his royal demands.

Having an animal who is smarter than the people in the home ... is a true experience.

Rumplestiltskin's picture

Update - as it turns out, SD was already here when she texted yesterday morning, meaning she had been in town since the night before. Her previous home was 8 hours away. No explanation for why she needs to crash here for an entire month before moving another hour away, when both her mother and SD27 live in her previous town. Likely some kind of falling-out. The cat is completely traumatized and the friend refused to keep him because of his behavior, so SO has him along with SD while the friend has SD's other cat.

SO told me the "plan" and it's full of holes. SO's parents have a business here in town. They are going to give it to SD free if she learns it. So SD plans to move an hour away, work in a clothing store, apprentice at a similar business on her off time, then move here and take over the family business. Less than a mile from my house. She has never held a job or lived in a single residence more than a few months.

SO can't answer why SD doesn't just apprentice with his parents. He first said that it's because his mom doesn't have an extra piece of equipment for SD to learn on. This can't be true. SO's brother's wife was apprenticing last year but chose not to finish. Also, the cost of this particular piece of equipment is a few thousand dollars. The cost of living in that other city is at least that. Per month. So even if SO's mom got rid of one or sold it, buying another one would cost much less than moving away for a year. This whole story is bullshite.

Also, SO told me the name of the business in the city an hour away where SD will be learning. I have searched and searched and cannot find a business by that name. This type of business would need to advertise. So. Much. Bullshite. 

Rumplestiltskin's picture

We went out to dinner tonight. I didn't mention anything about SD. Just trying to keep the peace. On the way home, SO brought up that the Asian new year is coming up again. He said we had to go visit his aunt and uncle and bring them gifts. I said ok. Then he got upset and said "If you can't handle it, i can go alone."

He then proceeded to bring up an incident that happened 2-3 years ago. I even blogged about it on this site. We went to his uncle's house and had dinner. He and his aunt and uncle got into a conversation in their language. SO's cousin sat there and talked to me for about 30 minutes but then went up to bed (40s, still lives with parents.) After another 20 minutes or so, SO/aunt/uncle keep talking. I sat there in silence and kept looking at SO, but he didn't pay any attention to me. I got up and went into the living room where SO's kids were playing video games. After another hour, it was getting late and it was a school and work night so i got up and tried to get SO's attention. I waved at him from across the room and sort of made a face. I told him it was getting late. We then went home and on the way i told him i was upset. Upset that i had no idea what was going on and i felt really confused and out of  place. SO said he was telling them about his issues with BM and his brother and i should have just sat there silently out of respect. I told him he could have at least told me what was going on.

Tonight on the way home, SO got upset to the point of screaming at me about it. Said i disrespected him and should have sat there in silence out of respect. He said "people talked about it." I asked who talked about it and what they said, but he wouldn't tell me. We have visited them on New Year's several times since and i thought it went fine. Also, i may not understand much of the language but by aunt and uncle's facial expressions, they looked relieved to get out of the conversation that night. I have no idea where this sudden extreme anger is coming from.

Obviously things aren't working. SO spends pretty much all the time he isn't at work at the pool hall. We have no common interests and obviously i don't fit in with his family. Idk how many signs i need. 

grannyd's picture

Oh, Rumple!

How much more do you have to endure from that awful man before you realize that the relationship will never work? I've been following your posts since you joined this site and have been impressed by the wise, pragmatic advice that you provide for other members yet seem incapable of applying to your own situation.

Your boyfriend’s behaviour is almost insulting in both its indifference towards your needs and ingratitude for all that you do for him and his family. He’s faithless, selfish and often unkind. A man who prefers to spend most of his free time at a pool hall would last about 15 minutes with me or, frankly, with any woman who valued herself!

Please forgive my bluntness, Hon, it stems from a deep concern for your future happiness. You are a good, generous and tolerant person who deserves far more from a partner than what you are accepting from your boyfriend.

Winterglow's picture

100 times this!

Not only that but you also give some of the best advice on here. Dammit, woman, start listening to yourself and taking your excellent advice!

Rumplestiltskin's picture

You guys are right. So many aspects of this relationship are unacceptable. Most of them, really. And the truth is, i don't accept them. Not totally. Marriage and cohabitation are off the table for now. I don't even sleep at his house anymore, ever. Right now, i have a high school senior at home and that takes a lot of my attention. But, in less than a year there's a good chance my youngest will live away at school and i'll be an empty-nester. A comparatively young one, too. I keep hoping things are getting better with SO, and prior to this holiday, it seemed they were. But they aren't, and i need to figure out the rest of my life after decades of parenting being a large focus. I'm not going to want to sit home alone for hours when i'm off work while SO is at the pool hall, with his extended family who i just don't gel with, or dealing with the dysfunctions of his kids. I have lost all willingness i previously had to jump in and help him with his kids and extended family. So many times i thought i was helping but realized i wasn't told the truth of the situation. That doesn't leave much of a future for a "life partnership." It's a half-assed existence. 

Rumplestiltskin's picture

Update: SO and i have hardly seen each other in the month since SD moved back and i found out after she had already arrived from out of state. Yesterday, i was about to go visit my dad (lives maybe 30 min drive away) and SO called. He was at work but SD27 called him from out of state. Said SD24 was at SO's house threatening to kill herself and SO "needs to have her committed, NOW!!" SO asked me if i could go to his house and see what was happening. Figuring it was BS, I told him i would stop over on my way to my dad's.

When i arrived, SD24 and SS19 were in the kitchen. SD27 had called SS19 and he left his job and was serving SD24 lunch. She was talking and laughing but you could see she had been crying. She wouldn't say what was bothering her. I told her "Your dad has been trying to reach you, please call him." Later that night, SO got home and then called me and i said "So, what happened today?" SO said that SD24 and SS19 were "Yucking it up and laughing" in the kitchen when he got home and he didn't want to ask. So no explanation of what happened, why SS19 had to leave work, etc. Everybody is just acting like nothing happened. SD24 never called SO after i left. Those "girls" are either batsh!t crazy or have been conditioned that the only way to get any attention is to act this way. SO is just reacting like always and trying to get others (SS and me) to do his heavy lifting. Poor SS19. I'm glad i didn't "take the bait" and drop everything to give SD all my attention, like i would have done in the past. 

Rumplestiltskin's picture

Came back to add, i'm not totally unfeeling. But SO's family had so many "emergencies" that turned out to be nothing in the past, that it's sort of a crying wolf situation. A lot of the suicide threats in SO's family center around getting caught at something or trying to avoid blame. I am wondering of SD lost her job or something like that. I was prepared to call 911 if i thought SD had been in any danger. The fact that she never even called SO (at least that's what he told me) is telling. He tried to reach her for hours yesterday. Not. My. Circus. I don't see how they all just act like nothing happened, though.