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NSMR-It sucks being the only real parent

justmakingthebest's picture

Many of you remember some of the struggles my DD15 went through. Thanksgiving 2021 she was in a crash that almost killed her. She was in ICU for 16 days. It took 5 surgeries just to close her chest wound. Her arm was snapped like a match stick and she has only regained partial function of one of her kidneys. She also lost a breast. -- So she has been through hell.

She was a softball player. Had been since she was 5. LOVES the game. She went out for the school team this year and got cut after her coach found out about her accident and he tested to see if she could dive into home. She can't slide on her chest. It hurts too much so he cut her. She was DEVASTATED. We found a travel ball team that was willing to work with her schedule with her dad. I talked to her dad and he was on board with her doing to summer session. She tried out and made the team. He even came to one of her games for her last tournament (1 out of 6... but whatever, he showed for something) and he told her he supported her and they would work it out with me to make sure she could do this. 

After I paid for it, he decided that he wasn't going to support her anymore. Her Dad and SM are being total dicks to her. They live 3.5 hrs away. He knew the schedule. He knows how important this is to her. He should be SO FREAKING PROUD of her for making the team, an 18U team at that! And that she didn't quit. But no, he is making her feel like crap for playing softball in July. It's over in July. It isn't that big of a deal. 

So now instead of meeting me 1/2 way to get her so that she can hit up the Thursday practices before the weekend tournaments- I get to do 100% of the driving, 100% of the costs, 100% of everything because lord knows all they care about is losing the free babysitter they have with her. They won't come watch, they won't support. 

She just called to see if she could make both the practices next week and her SM got all shitty with her and told her she might as well just stay down with me and miss father's day since softball is all she cares about. ARGH! She is a teenager and actually has an interest besides boys, alcohol or weed! Can we just be thankful for that please?? Can we just support her??

Comments

JRI's picture

No empathy at all.  Pitiful.  

thinkthrice's picture

My 1st ex and his now deceased wife.  Ex had zero interest in being a parent, his wife actually wanted children but couldn't have them so she legitimately  DID overstep her bounds in colluding with ex-MIL, who she actually despised trying to dig up dirt on me to get COC.

It's such an uphill battle!   I hope your DD is healing well and continues to make her way in the world. 

  

WalkOnBy's picture

Ugh - I hate this for your daughter.  I remember how terrible all of this was for your family.  Maybe she should stay with you for Father's Day -you are the mom and the dad, afterall...

Mominit's picture

It sucks for her because she's fought so hard to recover, and because he said he'd support it. It sucks for him, because she just made it clear that she'd rather attend (not her first choice team, but her second choice team and not even a game for that team but..) every practice rather than spend the limited time he has with together.  It doesn't mean he's not a real parent. 

SM was out of line losing her temper, but I feel for her too.  When my kids were in sports they would ask if they could attend important games, but they knew that attending a practice for a sport was not more important than visiting their Dad.  He did support games and tournaments even though he didn't have them all the time.  I wouldn't have blamed him for drawing the line at every practice too.

The down side of being a child of divorce.  But even children in intact families have to miss practices on occasion.

justmakingthebest's picture

Then he should have never told her her supported her. We asked first. I asked him privately and then she asked him. He had the outs and the outs to not even be the bad guy.

Also, travel ball is more competitive in our area than high school. It's a superior team in general. If she doesn't go to practice, she can't play the tournaments. I know he didn't shell out 1K for DD, but I did. He agreed to support the time, I supported everything else for her.

1st3rd5thWEInHell's picture

And then he would have been gaslit and told how much of a monster he was to his recovering daughter for upholding his visitation and preventing her from playing

And then she would say you are the "only real parent"

justmakingthebest's picture

You obviously don't know me lol

She hasn't played travel ever because I support his parenting time. She is almost 16 and is allowed to make a choice at some point in her life.

advice.only2's picture

So basically what your ex is teaching his daughter is that his word doesn’t mean sh@t, and that if she commits to something she better drop it if it doesn’t suit him.  Does he want his daughter to be a victim to sh@tty men the rest of her life?  No wonder she is dating a d-bag, because it’s mirrored from her dad.  Also I thought he was retired military and they are all about “honoring commitments” real classy.

ndc's picture

People who renege on commitments suck. I 100% disagree with mominit.  It sucks for JMTB's ex because HE sucks. His daughter is not rejecting him, she's following through on a commitment she made and he agreed to support. It doesn't matter that it's her 2nd choice team - it's HER TEAM, the only one she's on, the one that matters to her.  It doesn't matter that it's practice, not a game,  because when you commit to a team sport, you commit not only to games but to practices.  You owe that to the team. If he didn't want to give up his parenting time and commit himself to driving, he could have said no. This is totally on him. He sucks.

JMTB, at least your daughter has one parent who supports her.  She'll remember that.

halo1998's picture

Beaver is  notorious for this.  She will agree and then back out or just complain so much to SD that SD just gives up whatever she is doing.  It pisses me off so bad because it teaches SD that it is ok not to uphold your agreements.  Plus it also teaches SD that she can't rely on people.

If you commit..you commit.  Parenthood is all about sacrificing your time and effort for your kids.  I just don't get it....do not have kids if your not prepared for that.  The VI tried this with DD and she lit him up like the sky on the 4th of July.  She wasn't about to put up with it..and forced her dad for years to take her to flute lessons, football games, etc.  Her response when he tried to balk at her extra curriculars...was fine..you agreed and now you want to  back out..I will go live at Mom's house full time.  DD knew if push came to shove and she had to talk to the judge...she would win when she presented the fact that her father didn't want to support her amittions.  SHe was very very smart...she knew her narcisisstic father could not stand it if she went to my house full tile.  She played that to the hilt.

Mominit's picture

Could you switch a week of visitation for the summer.  Agree that she'll stay at your place to do the sports thing.  And in return he gets a make-up week in August when she's not in the sport in your area any more?

He was an idiot for agreeing to a sport 3.5 hours away (7 hours round trip).  But is there anyway to make the best of it?

justmakingthebest's picture

My 2 weeks in the summer are all part of the tournament season. It is basically the next 6 weeks. He will have all of August uninterrupted but it is what it is. He knew the schedule before I even told DD about the opportunity. He could have said no and she would have never known anything about it. 

Mominit's picture

He had the chance to say no.  He should have.  He was nuts to think that 7 hours for practices fit in.  Has he done a few of them already?  Or is ducking out of the only two he was responsible for?

Hopefully you can figure out a way to make it work so that she can see her Dad and do her sport.  But I totally get the need to vent!  He said he did it and now he's backing out (and not because something came up, for totally foreseeable reasons!).  Grrr.

 

NotYourAverageStepMama's picture

signed her up for anything and he agreed. For him to go back on his word and to make her feel badly about it, is just wrong especially after what she has gone through and was cut from the team. 

I used to think wow you and your ex DH co-parented so well including with SM, but ever since they moved closer, it seems there has been nothing but issues and he isn't concerned about what is best for his older children. It isn't teaching his daughter anything good, he committed and is showing it is okay to back out of commitments you make. What an ass he is.

justmakingthebest's picture

Yeah, we did better very long distance. 3.5 hrs isn't enough for us apparently. 

At this point I am about to be "that BM" go back to court and request that for a 17yr old and almost 16 yr old that they have the decision making ability and can choose their own visitation. No more calendars. 

NotYourAverageStepMama's picture

them and cannot handle it appropriately. 

It was like your ex DH is having a temper tantrum on a decision he had a say in, but wishes he didn't. Them moving closer and having a child really seems to have changed things for them. I really hope when DH and I have an "ours" baby that I don't change that way when it is unwarranted. It is one thing if the child is being PAS'ed out and being turned against the other bio parent/step parent or has major behavior issues, etc. but right now SD isn't any of those things. Admittedly, SD is only 6 going on 7 next month so there is tons of time for that to change, but until then I will be a huge SD advocate

Exjuliemccoy's picture

And he's the parent who was supposed to be supervising your daughter when she had her accident - you'd think it would assuage his guilt and fill him with pride to see how hard she's fought to get back into her sport. Guess not. A$$hole!

grannyd's picture

Hey, Julie,

I read justmakingthebest's post earlier today and was planning to comment later on. Now that you've written exactly what I had in mind, I'll simply double down on your remark. Mr. 'A$$hole' not only failed to supervise his daughter when she had the accident that nearly killed her but put her in harm's way on a subsequent occasion. He's lucky that the girl wants anything to do with him! GRRRRR!

Felicity0224's picture

Yeah, I'm almost always a "visitation is more important than sports" person, but this situation is so much different than someone signing up their 8 year old to play every sport under the sun. Your DD has been through so much and the fact that she wants to continue to play even given the massive physical setbacks she had is really admirable. It was shitty of her SM to speak to her like that and even more shitty of her dad to go back on his word. I feel for you both.

1st3rd5thWEInHell's picture

I am sorry but they live 3.5 hours away and she intends to miss visitation regularly for a ball game

Sports do not supersede visitation. Stepparents and non custodial parents have their entire weeks and weekends and holidays organized around the childs visitation. Not to mention this weekend is Fathers Day. 

Visiting your parent and spending time with them is more important than kicking ball on the weekends. The other parent probably agreed because if he had said no not on his time then he would be a "dick" as you said.

Your daughter is a teenager with health issues and dealing with a lot. What she needs is her family instead of chasing a sense of belonging within group sports

And yes its very frustrating when kids call to cancel visitation at the last minute when you live 3.5hours away and its also very insulting when it happens on Fathers Day weekend

Thankfully SM seems to care about her coming over and thats probably why she was pissed. If I had been the SM i would have said ok great, dont bother but let us know which dates you plan on coming and commit to them so we dont have our plans ruined for your ball games

AgedOut's picture

if you hadn;t privately discussed this ahead of time w/ Dad I might see it differently. But you approached him before approaching her. You gavve him the chance to say no, he supported her playing if she wanted and now you're supposed to feel guilty because he decided to go back on his word? no. just no. 

He had the chance to turn it down and she would never have known it was even a thing. He and his wife had the choice and they said they were willing to let her play if she wanted to. 

Do not let them or anyone else guilt you because he changed his mind after saying yes and after your daughter was given the chance to play. 

 

justmakingthebest's picture

After everything DH has been through I tread very carefully and allow more than most will tolerate with my kids dad. I bend over backwards to make sure he us always the hero and never looks bad. This time, I quit. He can dig his own grave. 

Noway2b1's picture

Is it normal to test that? Does every kid have to be able to slide into home? I know nothing about sports and it made me wonder. Did every kid trying out have to demonstrate that? Is it common? 

justmakingthebest's picture

Nope. Due to other actions this particular coach displayed he is not allowed to coach again. 

DD begged me to not bring it up to the school. She was already embarrassed and didn't want to be on a team where the coach didn't want her- but believe me- my momma bear was out over her being cut because she can't slide on her chest. She is one of the hardest hitters and an amazing shortstop. She also catches. She is truly a good player and her being cut was total BS. 

TheAccidentalSM's picture

I think when you spoke with your Ex, he agreed to support your DD sport.  But I bet he never thought about it practically or discussed it with his DW.  Then when he told his DW she went nuts with him about promising hours and hours out of their family time for your DD.  Don't they have small children?   How is she going to cope if Ex and DD aren't available to provide childcare?

He then decided to renage on his agreement with you and DD to keep the peace at home.  

He is such a bad word.  And needs a monkey punch.

Lillywy00's picture

They hassle her because they dont want to be responsible financially nor with their time PLUS they know if they say no, somebody else (aka you) will do it

Sucks to have a bio parent who does not support a kids' dream and he should not have agreed if he knew the logistics of it was be too much for him to handle