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Feeling defeated

Stellarejbmom's picture

I had a daughter last year jan 2020. My bf and I have been together for 5 years now.  He has four kids, ages range from 7 to 17. I met the kids a couple of years ago, we blended pretty quickly since their mother went back to rehab, at that time it was for a whole year. And at that time the kids were getting ready to go back to school and their dad was going back to work also. I had to help my SO with picking up his kids from school and dropping them off at home. I was doing this while I was pregnant.  They didn't know. It was definitely  a rocky start. I came into this relationship dreaming that the kids and I would get along chit chat about things. But that wasn't as I thought. 

 

Fast forward to now. The connection to my skids is still as rocky as it was before.  But now I have an almost two year old, who definitely a lot of work and a lot of patience.  I no longer feel like a gf and feel that I have a partner.  It's more like a housekeeper and a cook. That lives here.  My SO is pretty much gone throughout the day and majority of the night. He owns his own business.  He is a good dad , but not much as a parent.  His boys are entitled and think they can do whatever they want because the dad owns the house and I don't. Their dad yells at them on a constant base about them not doing their homework and doing their chores. Now that our daughter has become more mobile and I'm starting to see when SO goes back to work at night. Her brothers push her away. But when dad is here they act all nice and play with her. They blame her for making a mess they made. I want to say something about their behavior but with previous experiences with trying to discuss how they act towards me their dad immediately brushes it aside stating that they're good kids and that I'm just being mean to them, that I don't talk to them. 

 

I'm not sure how to go about discussing with my SO about this. 

Comments

Stellarejbmom's picture

They live with us full time. My SO has full custody of them. Their mother lives at her rehab facility in another city, she doesn't have a place of her own for them to stay at, so she just lives there.  The two younger boys on occasion stay for the weekend. Those two are becoming even more disrespectful to me and now towards their younger sister, my daughter. 

Coffee_N_Crumpets's picture

Sounds like you've got your hands full. I have felt the same with my my steps: like a housekeeper and cook. It's so hard to convey that feeling to your SO because they seem to think we enjoy cleaning up and cooking because we accept that role. It took me YEARS to get the kids to clean up after themselves. Then I stopped making them dinner for a few months. Every meal they didn't have to make for themselves was so much more appreciated. I always tried removing my assistance as a passive way to get them to understand that I don't have to do this and if you're a jerk I won't do it. 

Stellarejbmom's picture

I have done that last year. Me disengaging from them actually made it worse. My SO accused me of being selfish. Not to mention that I at that time didn't realize I was going through postpartum. It was a lot for me to deal with 3 disrespectful children and taking care of a newborn while my SO was at work( he taught during the day and owns his business at night), hes gone from 7am to 11:30pm. I actually contemplated leaving my SO with our newborn daughter out of the house. 

CLove's picture

Where things are purly transactional is relly soul-sucking.

Time to really think about what you want from this relationship! Long-term some things to think about are finances - get a lawyer and see what your options are regards child support. Also think about the fact that you will need to file for full custody. Accusations of you being selfish for not wanting to be treated like poo on the shoe, like a doormat, are completely ridiculous and you are starting to realise this, hopefully.

Just really think if this is what you can deal with. 3 kids disrespecting you and you are full time caregiver is a REALY hard position to be in. Unless you have authority to take stuff and give repercussions. But of course your SO is probably thinking they are perfect and you are the bad person who doesnt like them. You could try nanny cams and other recording devices, but the fact that he doesnt take your side and is not a parenting team with you, tells me that even if the truth were staring him in the face, nothing would change. You would continue being made into the whipping post that you are now.

Im sorry things have gotten to this point. Keep us posted.