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You're not the parent or a mother

Kelly_thestepmum_in20s's picture

Good day 

 

How would one feel when your SO snaps that :" you're not the parent or mother"?(married but no kid/s of my own yet). Yet you do everything BM does (from cooking, washing their clothes, etc) when the kids are over the weekends. Skids are between 7&11. 

Ispofacto's picture

He's right.  So stop doing anything for them.  Don't cook, clean, transport, discipline, babysit, or buy anything for them.

Separate your finances.  If you live together, the housing cost should be split equitably, meaning you share a bedroom with him, and the other bedrooms belong to his children.  So in a three bedroom house, his responsiblity is 1/2 + 1 + 1 = 2.5/3.0 and yours is 0.5/3.0.

Same with food and utilities.

 

lieutenant_dad's picture

Easy: stop doing anything a mother would do.

And spend some time reflecting on whether your DH is an arse or if you overstepped and he snapped. 

Jcksjj's picture

I would feel it's a sign to excuse myself of any responsibility to the kid.

I can tell you once that happens those comments stop.

Jcksjj's picture

What are the obstacles in the way? I went through this with DH towards the beginning so maybe I could help

Kelly_thestepmum_in20s's picture

Let's say, if I stop what I'm doing at the moment and it will end in another divorce which is not what I'm looking for at the moment. Probably, the best thing to do is to just lay low and let him do what is best for the kids. 

Jcksjj's picture

Dang. Are you hoping to wait it out til the kids are gone and avoid divorce permanently or just dont want to go through it right now?

Kelly_thestepmum_in20s's picture

#Ispofacto

I wish I could stopped myself from being in his life. Through our dating lives, he was an amazing man with no lashing. I think the" honeymoon phase" is over and we're back to the reality.

 

#Petronella 

Sometimes, I feel like he is not thinking upright. I agreed that no man would ever say such considering that he got married with someone who has no kids (his preference after his divorce). In our dating phase, I never used to do much for the kids and the BM used to complain on top of her voice whenever we've to send them back in their dirty clothes. Now that DH and I are married, I thought I would do the wife duties and everything that comes with. 

Ispofacto's picture

"Now that DH and I are married, I thought I would do the wife duties and everything that comes with."

Why?  Because vagina?  Times have changed.

He's a fraud.  He pulled the Bait and Switch on you.

And it's abusive to give someone 100% responsibility with 0% authority.

 

 

Kelly_thestepmum_in20s's picture

#Lieutenant_Dad

I just happen to have a laid back husband who steps back from his responsibilities. 

#ExcellenceToolkit

I will definitely do that next time. 

lieutenant_dad's picture

That's not "laid back". That's LAZY. That's BAD PARENTING. That's being a BAD HUSBAND.

Absolutely do not confuse the two. Laid back is not caring if someone pours red or white wine in your glass because you're just happy they thought about you enough to give you wine. Lazy is expecting someone to pour it for you when you won't do it yourself and then complaining when what they pour isn't what you wanted.

Your H seems to be in the latter category.

Rags's picture

I have always considered this comment made by your DH and so many in the blended family world as what it is .... complete bullshit.  We are a parent to any kids raised in our home and within our marriage.  

Our title clearly states that we are a parent.  We are a stepPARENT not a StepWife or StepHusband.   PARENT is the operative element of our title and the role we fill for StepKids.

My wife would never think much less say what your DH has said to you.  If I were you I would give him clarity that he is on the ragged edge of homelessness and another divorce if he continues that bullshit perspective.   Then demonstrate how much of a mother you are by stopping all mother and parenting activities in your home and letting him deal with them.  Don't warn him, just stop.  If the kids ask you for anything tell them to talk to their dad.  NO picking up, no feeding, no laundry, no nothing.

Then after DH is freaking out and is hip deep in dirty dishes, laundry, having to leave work to schlep his kids around, has to sit and supervise their homework, etc, etc, etc.... Ask him how much of a parent and mother you are to his chidren.  Do absolutely nothing that will benefit his children in any way.  

Once he is quaking and snivvling about the state of having to parent his children entirely on his own including all support, home making, earning, etc, etc,etc.... , tell him to ask you nicely to re-engage and give him clarity if he ever pulls this "you are not a parent or a mother" crap again he will be completely on his own.

Good luck. 

Kelly_thestepmum_in20s's picture

Thank you for the wise words. I pulled back some times and it doesn't end well. As he will claim being a victim or putting all the blame on me. And sometimes, we become more like strangers than anything else around the house. 

tog redux's picture

It's a jerky thing to say - and as the others said, since you aren't their mother and not a parent, you are free to live your life as you please, while he can take care of all parenting (which he should be anyway).

Kelly_thestepmum_in20s's picture

It's absolutely absurd. I once said that, if this was the case then he would have got married to someone who has a child before just to balance the equation.. But no, apparently he doesn't want to take care of another man's child. 

sandye21's picture

Tog is SO rigth!!  "I think you have to find your voice and stand up for yourself - no matter how upset he gets."  This is a no-win situation unless you find your voice and set boundaries.  He gets mad because he thinks it will shut you up.  Don't allow him to do that to you or 5 years down the road you will want to leave him and you will be trapped by fnancial obligations, etc.  Added to that, if he doesn't show you respect now, what do you think he and his kids are going to treat you like when they get older? 

I'd take a long vacation away from him and let him go it alone for a while.  If he wants to reconcile, let him know what it will take for you to return.

Kelly_thestepmum_in20s's picture

I always emphasis on respect but he doesn't seem to understand the word "respect". I told him about setting boundaries and he simply don't understand any of it. Apparently his ex wife used to get mad with his parenting tactics and none whatsoever instilled in the kids except going to church 4 days a week. 

thinker's picture

The issues you describe sound like the tip of the iceberg.  Your DH responds to you expressing your concerns with manipulation.   That's going to be his response to future issues, and it could escalate into something worse.

I also have an observation: OP isn't the first poster on here describing a scenario where her DH controls all the money in the relationship and she's a foreigner in his country.  I don't know the backstory so I could be reading too much into this, but it almost reads like your DH targeted you knowing your vulnerabilities, and has turned you into his maid, nanny, cook and bed warmer, with no authority in your marriage, either as a wife with an equal say, or as stepmom with parental authority over the kids you are required by him to care for.  It sounds like your DH thinks he can get away with treating you poorly knowing you are in a vulnerable position in your marriage and in his country.  So my gut reaction without knowing more of your story is that should remove yourself from this vulnerable position that you are in as soon as possible.  Typically, the longer you stay, the harder it is to leave.  

Kelly_thestepmum_in20s's picture

That's true. Being a foreigner where you have no one to turn to except social media, that sucks. I recently noticed that he is too scared I would make more than him, if I start working (I am a diploma holder in civil engineering and such in demands). And I failed to attend all the job interviews, due to his lame excuses. But that's for another day.. 

tog redux's picture

This guy has you isolated, I assume he is the reason you are able to live where you are, and he won't let you work because he's threatened that you could make more money than he does. AND he expects you to care for his kids.

Yikes, beware that he doesn't become abusive.

Kelly_thestepmum_in20s's picture

That what I'm afraid to cos at one point, he said he wouldn't mind quitting  his job if I get a most high paid job and care for everything. I highly doubt if he meant it. Isolation is one other thing, I can't even make friends (supposed to start a co-joint company with a friend and he said no). I will find my way out. 

StepUltimate's picture

You definitely have a bright future without this guy - civil engineers are in DEMAND and not for their unpaid-Nanny skills. I am attending a speaker panel luncheon next week presented by successful women engineers and there are so many great opportunities right now... so many consulting firms and municipal agencies looking for civil engineers! 

Definitely do NOT beat yourself up about this situation, but learn from it and move on from this man. I am glad you found this website because you are not alone, and the people here understand & care. Please be encouraged & know that you WILL get past this & get free. 

Let us know how you're doing. 

sandye21's picture

Thinker, You really hit the point with this well written reply.  There are men who look for vulnerable women, not only foreigners, but women who have had a history of abuse.  Both are easy to recognize in the 'unsure' way they present themselves and are easily manipulated.  The manipulator will pull all sorts of things to pull you back in, from extreme affection to threats to leave.  Years down the road you find out you have been his financial security blanket, and may actually remain married for fear of losing money to this man.  The best thing to do is immediately remove yourself from all contact from the manipulator for an extended period of time and see a good therapist on your own so you can gain clarity of the REAL situation.

ndc's picture

There are worse things than divorce.  I'd rather be divorced than be married to a jerk who doesn't treat me right.

The ONLY reason I am willing to have responsibility for my skids and do the things a MOTHER would do for them is that I also have authority to discipline them, and my efforts are appreciated by both DH and the skids (and also by BM).  

To answer your question, if my DH said that I would feel anger, and I would react to that by disengaging and refusing to do anything for his kids.  He could gaslight me until the cows came home, but fear of divorce would not get me to pick up his slack when my efforts were not appreciated.

Kelly_thestepmum_in20s's picture

May be cos I still see a good side on him. He actually said that apparently if I had kids, I would have understood the situation better. I put my foot down when he wanted the kids to come over on BM's school holiday with them. 

Of course, he is wrong to say that I'm not a mother /parent to his kids. 

Rags's picture

Yep, he is wrong.  Though we are all different and see things through our own lense of intellect and experience.  The key thing being the intellect part. 

With intellect it is not neccessary to experience parenting with out own childrne to understand parenting.  We have the examples that our own parents set, that the adult parents in our extended families all set, and the examples that our friends set and we apply intellect to those examples to bring to our own parenting actions as Sparents.  It is no different for those who have never been married but enter a marriage.  We have intellect and we have the examples that we have seen of how quality and maybe not so quality marriage work.  We do not have to be experienced at marriage to be good spouses in quality marriages.

So, his comment .... remains bullshit.

Based on the sides you have shared regarding your DH so far, I don't see any good side. Though he may not be fully putrid it appears that at best he has sides that may be less putrid than other sides.  But putrid at any level, is putrid.

Take care of you.

BethAnne's picture

I would put my shoes on, put my coat on, pick up my bag and walk out the door. Then I would spend a good few hours out of the house and ignore my husband for the duration. Thankfully I have only done this twice in my marriage. It was effective both times. Actions speak louder than words. 

He would have been right of course. I am not the child(s) mother and so I have no need to be there looking after them or picking up after him (an adult). He the "real" parent can do all that sh*t.

Luckily for me my husband sees me as a parental figure in our home and has ensured that my sd does too. I am not her mother, and have never tried to be but I do choose to do a lot of things for my step daughter. He expects her to treat me as a parental figure and be respectful towards me, listen to me and do what I ask of her. 

As my husband's spouse my opinions on issues outside of the home (schooling, medical, custody etc) are always listened to and considered. I know that ultimately it is up to him and BM to make these kinds of decisions though. 

Kelly_thestepmum_in20s's picture

Not quite familiar with the place and the only person I know, she lives 100km away from where I am staying. 

BethAnne's picture

All the more reason to get out and explore where you live. Go to the movies or look around some shops. Find a nice park to have a walk in. Go to a book store and buy yourself a book then find a nice cafe and read it over a coffee. Or just drive around your area seeing what is near you. 

The two times that it happened to me I did not have any friends to turn to either. The first time I just went for a walk in the town and then went to see a movie. The second time I got a bus and ended up going to a craft store and a hardware store. Nothing very exciting but I was annoyed and just needed to get out of the house and leave my husband to parent his child on his own for a bit. 

Lizzylemon's picture

Kelly I am also a sahw whose husband spews this comment when I make the mistake of occasially caring about sd9 well being in making the homeless looking feral child civilized. I have been training my dh to be nice to me by basically doing what Rags states above by giving him clarity of all the motherly things I do for sd9. 
 

When dh says something mean to me or displays an ungrateful attitude towards me I calmly let him know this is not an acceptable way to talk to your wife and immediately stop whatever I am doing for him and either leave the house or go to my room. 
 

Last night I was baking him breakfast tarts for the next day when Sd9 came in for her evening snack. He asked her if she put her laundered clothes away and she said yes. I grilled her a bit more and she caved admitting that she did not put the clothes away. Dh told me to not interrupt the situation next time. I prompltly put my baking in the fridge and went upstairs to read a book. 
 

dh was mad this morning that his tarts were not made. I told them it was his own fault for being rude to me and I don't have to put up with that. 
 

He later text me to apologize and all is well with this training excersise. Rinse. Lather. Repeat as many times as necessary until dh can be nice to you. I promise he will get the hang of it and your training excersises will eventually occur less and less. Alpha men only respect those that have the ability to put them in their place. 

Kelly_thestepmum_in20s's picture

Thank you for your input. I always walk away whenever I feel like my feelings were hurt. He doesn’t like the idea of walking out on him when he's being rude to me. It will takes time for him to forgive himself for his actions towards me. He is always acting as a victim. I am a person who don't show my emotions with tears. I withdraw from everything. He actually has a habit of starting trouble during the weekend. And it sucks cos eow, the kids are with us and always requesting my presence. 

Lizzylemon's picture

I have my sd 5 days a week and it changes the household atmosphere dramatically and dh is always on edge when she is here. I understand how you feel. I get my feelings hurt too but I only tell dh that my feelings were hurt in a sincere way after he apologizes to me because that's when his heart is more tender. Stay firm with him while giving him his punishment and do not show weakness. With the same force I dish out my punishments I am also extremely kind to him and show him I care about him with actions, that is until he needs another training excersise! 

my dh plays the victim as well but I calmly tell him that I used birth control before I married him so I wouldnt be in this situation and it's not my problem he didn't do the same. Stay strong with him! 

Rags's picture

Why do you keep serving yourself up as sacrificial tribute to his toxic stupidity?

Take care of you.