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Adult SD returns home

Musicinthesoul's picture

This is my first post here and need to vent.

My husband and I have been married for two years now. I have two grown children and he has one grown daughter and a 12 year old son.

A little history on the kids: My son is the oldest. He graduated high school and joined the Army, deployed to Afghanistan and got out of the Army and lives with his father while building his log home. He hasn't asked for a dime since high school.

My daughter is 23 and after high school she moved to a college town with two friends as roommates and has been on her own. I pay her cell phone bill every month but she pays everything else. Once in a while she will ask for help to pay a light bill but otherwise is mainly self sufficient.

Next is my step daughter. She is almost 23. She is spoiled. There is no other way to put it.

My step son is almost 12. He lives full time with his mom but visits. He's a good kid, really sweet.

My step daughter moved in with us about 10 months ago but only stayed a week saying she missed home but turned out she missed a 17 year old boy. As of two weeks ago she moved back. She lived in another state so this is a big move. She came with a car load of clothes and shoes, not much else.
She had never really had to do much and was spoiled. After high school she began waiting tables. Nothing wrong with that but she wasn't really asked to contribute financially at her moms. She moved in with a crappy man for a short period of time then moved back home to moms, then back with the crappy guy then back with mom, etc. Finally her mom put her foot down and She can't live there any longer. She moved in with her sister and it worked for a while and then she ended up here. Her grandparents paid her car payment and insurance up for several months and gave her $200 to move here with. So far she blew her spending money but she did find a job and started yesterday. She has been absolutely no help with chores. She was here two days and already was hanging out with some guy. She inconsiderate. She tried to move here on a Sunday night in the middle of the night knowing her dad has to work but she messed around all day and just didn't care that he would have to get out of bed. He told her to stay there another night and come during the day. She did. Another example, I made breakfast and she ate when she woke up and didn't thank me. Her dad had her out the him the other day and ran into a guy he knows. This guy had a couple of friends with him and she was all excited that there were possible single men for her to talk to. So far she hasn't offered a dime toward any bills and that's something her dad is going to have to talk to her about. Is $50 a week fair?

I know this is a lot of rambling but I don't know how to handle any of this. I taught my kids to be independent but there's no shame in asking for help. If they acted this way I would be appalled.

I have Netflix set up in four names: mine, my husbands, my SS and my daughter. She changed my daughters name to hers and I was livid. Not because of the name change but because she never considered asking if it was ok. I got so mad I deleted the name. I felt bad afterward and added it back and thought how difficult moving to a strange place must be and decided to be more thoughtful and made her breakfast. She got up I said "good morning" and she stared at me like I had three heads them finally mumbled something, ate and left.

Grrrr. I don't know what to do. It doesn't look like she's moving back and will be here a while.

I don't mean to sound be petty either. It's an adjustment for us all but I think she thinks she can live here for free and no help with anything. It's only been two weeks!

Musicinthesoul's picture

I agreed she could move in. She had used up all of her options at this point and had nowhere to go. I wouldn't say no and leave her homeless and I expect the same from my husband concerning my kids. However, my kids would probably never move back home.

He and I do need to talk about the future of her living arrangements and expectations while she's there.

Musicinthesoul's picture

She does a lot of annoying things but she isn't the type of person to get pregnant only to rely on someone. If that were the case she would have already done that.

hereiam's picture

Adult SD returns home

That is one sentence I will not be writing. EVER.

But since it's a done deal in your case, your SD needs to contribute financially and physically, and she needs to be given a deadline to move out. For good. No more coming back.

If she doesn't want to contribute, she can get out now (which would be my preference).

hereiam's picture

Yep.

hereiam's picture

Depends. I would weigh how much she makes and how soon I want her out. If she's bad at saving, even with a known deadline, I would up the amount from $50.00 a week and save some FOR her. Whatever it takes to get her out the quickest.

But she needs to know that the deadline is it so she better be working and saving for that deposit and know that she better be able to afford wherever she moves because she's not coming back again.

WTF...REALLY's picture

I completely agree with this. That's a great percentage. And change that password, she needs to learn some respect. I would have no problem expecting a reasonable amount of respect from a 23-year-old living in my home.

Powerfamily's picture

Charge the same or just under as what she would have to pay for room share. Change the Netfix account so she can't access it, if she wants it then she pays for it.

Make up a rota i.e she cook dinner for everyone on a Wednesday. List of chores she needs to to extra to her own laundry. If she not eating with you then she buys all own groceries give her a cupboard/shelf in fridge. If she doesn't wash up her cups/plate the give her paper ones.

Exjuliemccoy's picture

^^Structure^^^

It sounds like everyone is enabling and tolerating, but no one has troubled to teach and guide this feral Child of Divorce. Common stuff...Her parents divorced, she recognized that parental boundaries had weakened/disappeared, and she's been doing as she pleases ever since. Am I close?

You have two choices: Be a doormat or draw boundaries and be the bad guy. Even if you and your DH are completely on the same page, you will still be the baddie in your SD's mind. So accept that, own it, and do what needs to be done.

Draw up a list of rules and responsibilities for this adult houseguest ASAP (Get your DH to contribute suggestions). Go over the list with your SD, and if she chooses to stay, HOLD HER ACCOUNTABLE. There will likely be pushback and conflict followed by upheaval and a huffy dramatic leave taking. Try not to take it personally, as this is not a YOU problem but rather a lack of parenting problem. It likely won't end well (Again, sadly common) but if you hold firm you will be teaching your SD an importing lesson in adjusting while also setting an example for the twelve year old.

Oh, and scroll back in this forum. You'll find many posts about adult skids who either don't launch or move back home and wreak havoc. That's why members here often follow the policy of Never Let Them Back In.

mystical7's picture

OH my gosh! How awful! If your husband wont make the rules I would threaten him somehow until he did. No matter what age they are, they have to follow rules in your home, and you have to set boundaries, and assign chores. I would charge half her paycheck.

Musicinthesoul's picture

I just made a list that includes monthly rent, chores and expectations. It's quite good I think. Lol

She works tonight so he and I will discuss the list and I won't remove anything from it but I will make dditions if he has any to make.

I refuse anymore nights like last night. She was off all day and ran some errands or whatever she does and was gone most of the day (when she wasn't sleeping). Wednesday's are typically the night we pull out leftovers we've accumulated and eat. She ate with us. Got up put her bowl in the sink and went back to bed. She wasn't feeling bad just sleepy. She didn't ask if dishwasher was ready, just put the bowl in the sink and walked away. We go to bed rather early because we get up early. As we were getting ready for bed at 9 her clock was going off. I assume she was going out. In any case, I refuse to be cook and housekeeper to a grown woman. It ends tonight!

sandye21's picture

Good for you!!! She sounds so much like my SD that I can predict she will not like your list, nor will she want to do it - unless DH is present. You will be getting 'blow-fish' and 'stink-eye' for sure, and she will be appealing to DH for support her against 'meannie' SM. Just stick to your guns. You have every right to expect her to clean up after herself. Please let us know what happens.