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Father's Day

Calypso1977's picture

Fiance and i have no children together. He of course has SD13 with BM.

I have been practicing avoidance/attempting disengagement with SD. i have no plan to help her get anything for my fiance for father's day. she's old enough to know when the day is and has plenty of money to get him something if she wishes to do so.

my question is to i get my fiance a father's day card from me? i care about him, and he is a dad, just not a dad to a kid i have. Last year i did go with SD get him a card and gift, but that was back when she acted like a normal child.

askYOURdad's picture

Is he a good dad? If he is a good dad I think it is nice to acknowledge him on Father's day. Doesn't have to be anything over the top, just a card that says "happy father's day!" and write him a little not thanking him for being such a wonderful man and a good example to his daughter.

Jsmom's picture

Not your dad...Now I do something for DH for each kid. But, he raises my son with me and is a good father. Also, I didn't start until two years ago and we just celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. Too early for you to do that and it is not your kid.

You can wish him a Happy Father's Day and make him a nice dinner. But, beyond that, not necessary. Especially if you have no relationship with your SD.

Calypso1977's picture

how does one define "good dad"?

does he love his daughter? yes. but he is a lousy parent in that like so many dads here he simply does not parent (nor does BM). the kid runs wild, has no manners, is allowed to wear what she wants, do what she wants, given no boundaries, no rules, no discipline, the list goes on. she back talks him and has refused visitation too many times to count in the past year and her parents allow it, although my fiance did call the police on BM numerous times to document her refusal to turn the kid over to him at the court ordered time.

i guess i dont see much reason for celebration here.... but i dont want to be evil either. were my own dad alive id simply avoid the day and go spend it with him.

MEL1297's picture

I would get him a card from you, some type of card acknowledging that he does a good job as a father. I wouldn't go overboard or do anything else though.

unwillingparticipant's picture

I agree - do nothing w/stepkid. She is ABSOLUTELY old enough to know its appropriate to do something for her own father for fathers day.
However, I would recommend getting DH a card/gift. It's just reassuring to him that he's doing a good job as a husband/father.

Patsy's picture

I would wish him Happy Fathers Day because I do this to all the fathers I know and leave it at that.

hereiam's picture

Since my SD NEVER does anything for her dad, I always take him out to eat wherever he wants. No, he's not my dad but I think he's a good dad and I will celebrate that, even if no one else does.

Since your SO is a lousy parent but you don't want to seem evil, I would get him a light, humorous FD card. That way, you are acknowledging that he's a dad, without saying he's a great dad.

hereiam's picture

Ha ha, actually I think my favorite is the Alot but I couldn't get the picture to upload. And cake is good.

morethanibargainedfor's picture

I always get SO a fathers day card and sometimes a little present and usually make him a nice dinner.
I do not help SD13 get a present for him. That is up to BM. They usually get him a card and end up getting him something incredibly stupid that he will never use. Or something he already has. I think BM does this on purpose.

I like to recognize fathers day for him so he knows what a great dad I think he is Smile

Calypso1977's picture

thanks for the advice.
i will probably wish him happy father's day then prepare his favorite meal AFTER SD goes home since i refuse to eat with her due to her lack of table manners.

SMof2Girls's picture

If he's a good dad and you wish to acknowledge him .. get him a lovey-dovey card that's clearly from his WIFE and sign your name to it. Make his favorite dish for dinner and just generally do for HIM. No need to involve his kid if she's not interested.

Question is .. if she asks for your help to pick something out, or give her a lift to the store to shop, would you do that?

Calypso1977's picture

"Question is .. if she asks for your help to pick something out, or give her a lift to the store to shop, would you do that?"

Nope! Her mother takes her to the mall at least once per week and she also has grandparents that she lives with that will do whatever she wants whenever she wants.

But, i can safely say she would not have the balls to ask me to take her anywhere. because ive laid down the law she knows better.

Poodle's picture

I think your idea of just saying it and having nice meal is best. The reason I say don't do a card is that you are trying to disengage. Therefore, you want to send out the signal that your relationship to DH has absolutely doodly squat to do with SD. If you formally congratulate him for being a dad, on a subconscious level you are suggesting you have a 3-way relationship with him and his daughter. This will allow him to blur boundaries and turn to you for support in parenting her, subconsciously. I feel that if you do it just because you would do it to any dad, still HE would not read it that way but would read it as a subliminal message from you that you are actively interested in being her SM. I would do the verbal greeting and the food as a distraction tactic ie to stop him feeling hurt or rejected and to have a nice together time, but absolutely limited to those purposes.

rahrah2019's picture

I will take SS to get something for DH for Father's Day. I'd rather he receive a gift that I participated in than BM. DH will actually keep and use and love the gift this way, too. He shudders at the thought of wearing a shirt, for example, that BM picked out and paid for.

DH and I do not have children together. My children are long-distance and not a part of our everyday lives. That being said, we both buy each other thoughtful cards and gifts on Mother's Day and Father's Day. It is a way to acknowledge that role for each of us. I am quite disengaged and don't feel it blurs the line in his mind of my involvement in his child's life. It's just us telling each other, "Hey, I love you. You are a parent, and this is a day that we celebrate that." At the end of the day, I want my DH to feel love from me first and foremost. It has nothing to do with his kid.

For Mother's Day, my DH got me a sweatshirt I'd wanted, a necklace he knew I'd love, and a big surprise: a mother's ring. He consulted with my adult children about the ring, but he paid for it and had it made. He presented it to me as a gift from my children, not from him. He was simply trying to do something extra special for me because I'm his wife. So although I see I'm in the minority, I say why not show that love to him?

Calypso1977's picture

i guess i dont view mothers day or fathers day as holidays wherein you show love for your spouse but rather show appreciation and gratitude for their job as a parent.

in my case, my fiance is a terrible father. not much there to celebrate or show appreciation for.

SD will not get him a card or gift. i want to sit back and let him see what a horrible child she is, even tho i know it wont matter because he always overlooks her indiscretions and misbehaviors. while i love my fiance, i am so angry with him for the dynamic he has allowed in our home relative to me and his daughter, him and his daughter and now him and i as a result.