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Following up on this forum (father of the wicked stepdaughters)

mizmel's picture

Well, as you may already know, I decided to let my bf read this forum in the hopes that maybe hearing the same comments from other people may help him to realize how out of control his kids are. I swear, Im not lying when I say that these have got to be the most cold hearted, disrespecful girls ive ever known. You would think if they cared and loved their father as much as they say, then they wouldnt try to interfere in our lives and just let him be happy.I mean damn, my own kids would never do that to me and if they even tried, they would be set in their place immediately! But I am very glad I let him read this, i believe he got nervous about it cuz he asked me last night if i was gonna take the advice and leave him. I told him we would give it time , at least till June, and if things dont seem better, then we will let the relationship go. That would really suck, 2yrs down the drain thanks to some ingrate kids. I have tried putting myself in their place, thinkin how would i have handled it at their age if my father had remarried or had a gf, my dad would have had my blessing on it, whatever his choice. as long as hes happy, then Id be happy! and Id also be thankful he found someone to kick it with! And even if i didnt like the woman he was with, Id keep my opinions to myself for fear of hurting my dad, but i would always be respectful and courteous to her. And if i acted any other way inappropriately, I know my dad wouldnt go for that, i would get chewed out for even acting like a bitch! or maybe worse! Anyway, I wondered if you all noticed by his forum that hes in denial about his girls, he thinks they hung the moon. They are pretty and smart girls and my bf did a good job raising as far as education and mortivation goes. But somehow, somewhere, he missed teaching them about respect, decency, and unconditional love. Their personalities make them so ugly tho! I do see where they get their insensitivity tho, from the father. He is the same way! I cant show emotion around him , he thinks its all dramatic and theatrical. Its totally ridculous. Otherwise, he is a good man, we do get along great, or we used to before all this crap started. I really appreciate all the comments you guys left! I have been telling him the same things all this time.Maybe hearing this from a hundred other people will hopefully strenghten his awareness about whats going on, and to stop trying to blame it on other innocent people. Like I told him before, it seems very strange to me that the first year or so we were together, not a damn thing was ever mentioned about father daughter time, matter of fact, my bf said before i came in the picture that he never saw the girls much anyway. They hardly ever came over and just "hung out" with dad. But now , all of a sudden, this is such the big deal to them! I told my bf thats just another attempt by them at getting us into an argument and making the situation hard on us. I truly believe this is their goal. A friend of mine whom i had confided in, told me that they may resent me cuz they see me being good to their dad, cookin , cleaning, just being a good gf. things their mom never did or shoulda done. I do know the youngest girl would like nothing nore than her dad and mom to reconcile, she even mentioned to her dad that possiblilty and he flat cut her off and said no way! And this isnt the first time she has mentioned that. the youngest lives with her mom and moms bf when not at college. she has her own life and a bf of 4 yrs. the oldest is married, with baby boy 6 mo. old that i am not allowed to see. I told my bf she is so wrong to intentionally leave people out of its little life and she will regret that one day. U would think these girls have their hands full with their own lives, but yet that arent happy unless they can somehow manipulate their father and piss me off in the meantime. totally ridculous! And i truly believe my bf forcibly made those girls come over here and have a meeting with us, you could clearly tell they didnt wanna be here, but neither did i. He said he thought it very mature of them to even come over and try to squash all this crap, and i said "they sure didnt come over out of the goodness of their heart". I told my bf thats its a shame i cant even talk nicely to others about my stepdaughters, cuz they have shown me nothing but agony and hate. Ive been though 2 marriages, both with different problems, (alcoholism and drugs) but i have never ever encountered anything such as this. never been exposed to this sort of thing. so this is all new to me. and i dont like it one bit! but i just hate giving up, especially knowing the reason for all this. Its so hard to find a good man nowadays, i finally got lucky and found one, now im having trouble holding on to him cuz of his kids. Yes, I have a 10 yr old who lives with us(a boy).and my mom stays here 4 nights week with us, she is very ill and has dementia. she has her own home which she goes to fri. thru monday. Its been really hard on me this past year, she has gotten worse, and then his girls lay all this crap on me to top it off. we are supposed to go to my bf's bro's house for christmas but i told my bf i didnt want to go, that if i did his girls wouldnt show up and he would be totally bummed out about that. he said "yes u are going , that we need to be seen together." There was one positive thing that was said at the meeting, the oldest daughter told me she didnt want me to move out, that she thought it would be a bad idea. she seems to have more common sense on these things than her 20 yr old sister.

SerendipitySM's picture

Mizmel, I think it was very clear that a lot of us were less than impressed with your b/f yesterday in his blog. I don't think I have ever read a post that made me more angry than the crap he was spewing yesterday. I do not know the type of relationship you have and the way he treats you in other areas of your lives together but when it comes to his daughters he is completely and utterly oblivious to reality. I do not think he will "ever get it" and I think that you will need to do some serious soul-searching to determine if this is how you want to live the rest of your life. I wish you the best of luck my friend.....

Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist. - George Carlin

KittyKat's picture

if I were you.

One of the reasons I was very quick to respond to you is that I did the SAME THINGS you are doing when I first met my H (five years ago); I let myself get so involved in all the drama and tried to "help" (My H didn't do a lot with HIS Ds either until I came along...he had no cell phone until he met me, so there was no way they could be calling him a zillion times a day as they started doing when he got the phone!)

I cried, pleaded, begged. It only made the situation worse. (And, I have to say to H's credit, my own adult son wasn't an "angel" in any of this; he did a lot of "regressing" when mommy found a new "man", and my H put up with a lot from him)

Know what I did? I stopped fighting with the whole damn BUNCH of them and I got on with my LIFE. I stopped "worrying" if his Ds "liked me or not" ('cos I really DON'T give a damn if they DO anymore). or what they had to say because, ultimately, what happens between their dad and me is OUR business.

Long story short, with the help of the wonderful people on THIS SITE, I can honestly say that H and I are moving toward the kind of relationship two ADULTS should have. We have had NO PROBLEMS with his Ds (they have their "needy" moments, but NOTHING like when we first met), and H and I, right now, have never been happier in our lives.

Due to past experience, I avoid his family like the plague for the holidays and concentrate on my OWN agenda. They have come to realize that it HURTS H very much to not have me around, knowing full well that they are the reason why. For that reason, I anticipate NO PROBLEMS from them any more. They know their dad is VERY HAPPY. EVERYONE knows their dad is very happy. If this marriage were to "end" due to their "antics" (at their ages...well into their 20's!!) they WOULD KNOW IT IS WRONG!!

If they want to fight and argue, let them. Get on with YOUR OWN AFFAIRS. And, screw the little details of "she said, no, YOU said" blah blah...life is TOO SHORT to haggle over such trivial crap.

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."-Eleanor Roosevelt

mizmel's picture

I totally agree with your statements! THis crap is just so trivial and like i told my bf, ive only got 25 or 30 yrs left on this earth(hopefully more than that) and ill be damned if i plan to live like this the rest of my life. I want so badly to just detatch from them, and i pretty much have done that. but it still bothers me that they can be so ugly and inmature. I really dont think they will ever come around or him either. I remember once that his youngest called him, he was outside and i walked out and i clearly heard her say to her dad "get rid of her' not once but several times.he got so angry and i was so hurt. he asked her (out of anger)"why dont u go f*** with your mom and her bf, why do u always gotta be f***** with me in that sense?" and her answer was, "i like moms bf" but i dont like her (referring to me) yeah she likes moms bf cuz they live at HIS house. that woman doesnt have a pot to piss in,LOL. Shes an alcoholic who doesnt want help, was on meth for awhile, my bf divorced her and proved her an unfit mother and got custody of the girls. he also got the house which was in shambles when i got here. now the house is so nice and livable thanks to me. according to the youngest daughter tho, the house looks like shyt. LOL...they were so use to living in a pig sty i guess. their mom is from Mexico(yep shes a mean ass mexican b***) but the girls just adore this wonderful species of woman. Im gonna try to hold out for a few more months and see what happens. im just not one to give up so easily.

KittyKat's picture

And, that's why I so relate to your dilemma. I did the same things. I would "analyze" to DEATH the situation (WHY do they HATE me so much? What did I do wrong? BLAH BLAH?)

The MORE ENERGY you keep putting into their "drama", the more you're gonna get back (DRAMA). The BEST EXAMPLE you can set for them is to just FORGET THEY EXIST (I know it's hard). I used to get LIVID when the Ds would be calling at all hours. NOW, due to my career, etc., if they call at 8:30 PM (which used to INFURIATE me, because it was always for something STUPID), the odds are good that I WON"T EVEN BE THERE. "Daddy" could talk to them for HOURS, I'm not even in the house. Know what? They don't even CALL him much anymore...because they LOVED getting a "rise" out me being angry, and now, well, I just DON'T give a damn.

Turn your energy (positive) toward Mel. Take a new class, volunteer, join a sports club (just some ideas)...when they take notice that YOU JUST DON'T GIVE A DAMN about them anymore, that is when you'll see changes.

That is IF YOU WANT CHANGES. You might just want to RUN...hey, if this site were here five years ago and I had all this support, God knows I'd BE GONE!!! Biggrin

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."-Eleanor Roosevelt

KittyKat's picture

Crayon. They'll be DROOLING to pull that ole plug!

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."-Eleanor Roosevelt

melis070179's picture

yes, he caused quite an uproar with his comments...and why do you guys need to be seen together? What is THAT about? Is he worried about his image? I really hope these girls lay off & get back to their own lives, because I don't see your relationship surviving if they don't. He will obviously always put them first & said it himself: "Blood is thicker than water".

"Nobody will ever win the battle of the sexes. There's too much fraternizing with the enemy"

mizmel's picture

I asked him this question last night "if Liz (the oldest married daughter) had to choose between you and ricky(her husband) who do u think she would choose?" and my bf said probably Ricky. LOL. He knows whats up, just doesnt want to admit it. hes so afraid to stand up to his girls , so afraid they will hate him. I told him i wish i could have a chat with Pam (his x gf)but i already know the girls were alot of their problem. she wouldnt even come over if the girls were with him and you know things had to be pretty severe.That was like 3 yrs ago when the girls were teens. they didnt like her cuz she told the youngest she was a brat! LOL. I so wish we could just move far away!

bellacita's picture

was his insistence that one shouldnt shun their kids for their partner. first of all, that is not what u are asking. he repeatedly said that blood was thicker than water and that his kids would be firts. when i said that kids and partners had two distinct roles and the lines shouldnt blur, he never responded to me. but its clear that he values his daughters like alot of us value our partners--putting then first and having an equal partnership. it seems to me like he will always put them as his #1 priority and thats his choice, but then why is he w u, seeking companionship??? u need to decide if youre happy being that role for him...

"Given the right reasons and the right two people, marriage is a wonderful way of experiencing your life."
~the late great George Carlin

bellacita's picture

GAWD i wish we lived close and could go for a drink! u are a riot!

"Given the right reasons and the right two people, marriage is a wonderful way of experiencing your life."
~the late great George Carlin

mwelch's picture

I just got through reading all of the posts from yesterday and your post today. Maybe I missed it but were you really standing there reading what he was writing about you? If you were I would have to say you must have some very sore cheeks. Because he said some very hurtful things that I would be hard pressed to turn the other cheek to.
Your comment from above of "i finally got lucky and found one, now im having trouble holding on to him cuz of his kids." is a comment you really shouldn't be making if you were in a loving relationship with him. He has already made a relationship with his daughters and it sounds pretty air tight to me and it doesn't sound like there is room for anyone else. No one, not even you will be able to break through it to be his number one priority. He continually defended his daughters yesterday but didn't defend you once, not even a little bit. You shouldn't be the one "holding on to him", you should feel like you are holding on to each other now and for the rest of your lives. Do you feel that way? If you don't then that is the point where you should ask your self if this is really how you want to live your life. He can have his life with his daughters, and allow them to ruin yet another relationship, you on the other hand can find a man that will make you feel like you are his #1. I hope you find happiness...wherever it is.

Reality is always controlled by the people who are most insane.
~Dogbert

mizmel's picture

yes, i did read it and it didnt phase me one bit. I guess cuz i am so used to it now. Like i have told him, he is the most insensitive man ive ever known. he did tell me last night that he would work on being more sensitive to my needs. I know he is so angry and hurt by his girls actions and then angry at me for not wanting a reconciliation, i just dont see that happening. other than that, this man is awesome as far as being good to me and my family, he takes alot of time up with my 10 yr old son which i love him for that. he interacts alot with him. but the girls act like they dont want any family time just father duaghter time. If the youngest daughter had never brought that up, we wouldnt be in this situation now and i wouldnt be here venting!

mwelch's picture

to hear you say that what he was saying about you didn't phase you one bit. I hope one day he pulls his head out of his a$$ long enough to see what a great woman you are. Otherwise he is bound to lose you. Remember you always have friends here to vent to. Wink

melis070179's picture

Wasn't it you in one of your previous blogs that said he didn't treat your son well? Maybe I need to go back & re-read but I thought it was you? Maybe not.

"Nobody will ever win the battle of the sexes. There's too much fraternizing with the enemy"

northernsiren's picture

everything she stated above x2.

I decided not to contribute yesterday b/c all the ladies speaking up had already said what was on my mind. I have to say, I wondered how you would feel and if we would know your reaction when you read some of the things he said about you. I honestly wondered what his agenda was in posting this at all, at one point, he was bashing you deliberately, to a community of women who try to care and support you, and have been a solace for you in a difficult time. Like to PROVE to us that you're a bad person. WHY??? Trying to alienate you from your support system, that is classic abusive behavior.

Honestly, I know it's hard being single out there, and I don't pretend to know what it's like to be a single mom. But you deserve better than this, your children should not see you being treated so shoddily, nor should your mother be in that environment.

To me, he has shown his true colors. I'm still shocked and awed that this man had the audacity to not only disrespect you in the home you share, but take the initiative to come into YOUR community and speak so badly of you. I am so sorry you are going through this, and I hope your situation gets better, but in my heart of hearts, I think that will only happen if you move on, cut your losses and leave him to his princesses...

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Albert Einstein

Sasha's picture

I met my fathers' wife when I was 19. Granted, he and I didn't exactly have a close relationship, but I would have never dreamed of mistreating or disrespecting her. She was his wife and I knew from day one where my place was. Besides, my mother would have kicked my ass if she got wind that I was treating someone that way. I just wasn't raised like that. I was raised to show respect for others. My stepmothers' daughters gave my dad more trouble than I ever gave him or her combined. I finally severed all ties with my dad, but that had nothing to do with his wife.

I think you're doing the right thing in setting a time frame. The trick is to stick to it...if things aren't working out then you need to leave, end of story. He is now on notice that if he doesn't make a conscious effort to set things straight with his daughters, then he's the one that will pay the price in the end.

Mystery23's picture

from and i can understand you bf.

He really loves his daughters very much. There are days when he and them will meet up. This should not be a problem however he should tell you aswell. He should invite you on some occasions that was okay with them but not all the time. Until really they get to like you abit and start trusting you again. From what I was reading from your bf you are r possessive and he saying they just want you not stop him from seeing him alone.
I can relate to this but also realise you may feel frozen out its not nice is it.
I know alot of people will back you on here but I do agree with some of what you dp is saying. Although he does need to realise they cannot treat like that. He needs to wake up to them and tell them how much he loves u and they need to accept you. They should come to the house and get along with you for his sake. I'm a step-daugther and your a step-mum we never realise how much it affects our dad, bf do we. Piggy in the middle but he needs to realise you are his family he chosen to be with. He said blood is more important and you are dead right when saying would his daughter feel that blood comes first and boyfriend comes second not I wouldn't and not would she. She would put her bf first.
This brings me on the next point I as a stepdaugher do blame my father in alot of ways she was making my step-mum feel jealous, insecure or possessive.
I must admire your stepdaughter because they got guts my step-mum terrified me so much made me go not able to confront her with certain issues. She really made me feel low aswell but not so scared now as I got my dp to back me. If they are on that level with you that they can bring problems they have with to you surely you should do the same. Really have along chat with them saying something along the lines of I don't mind your dad and you having time alone. Its just upsets me 1 that your dad has to lie or not tell me 2 that you don't want me there as I would like to see you both aswell.
I also was shocked to see in your bf post how he only seemed to be defending then and not saying I can understand my gf feels like this etc. I also believe by the sound of his post saying he had to take your kid on and your mother that he is alittle resentful as his kids are not there. If that is all he is asking for one to one time with his daughters they surely giving him that time should no be a problem although you feel frozen out.
How old is his youngest daughter?
You both really need to sit and talk as I personally feel on both sides to be heard. Your not hearing him and he not hearing you. Both getting twisted up not realising what the other is saying plus his daughter need to have a long chat with you as I feel from their view your missing how they are feeling. Maybe they feel when they meet up they can speak to their dad about their mother if anything is worrying them about her. Maybe something they don't want you to know. I felt that aswell and in the end I stopped opening up to my dad and shut down on problems and because I didn't want my step-mum to know. Now thats changed but its will take a long time for them to trust you as I said before.

Good luck.

The Principlist's picture

Color me stupid, but I so could not follow you Mystery. No offense, but your post was so jumbled and rambly that I really don't know what I just read or the point that you were making. Maybe it is just me.

Step Mother's Motto this week is:

You don't have to LOVE me, you don't even have to LIKE me... But you will RESPECT me.

melis070179's picture

no, its NOT just you...all of her posts are like this. I'm wondering if there is a language barrier though...

"Nobody will ever win the battle of the sexes. There's too much fraternizing with the enemy"

JMC's picture

JamaicanMeCrazy
DISNEY LIED...THERE IS NO 'HAPPILY EVER AFTER'

I keep reading some of your posts and you seem to be incredibly naive and misinformed - Contrary to how you may feel about your "stepmum", not all of us SM's are jealous wenches who resent our skids; as I've said in previous posts, most of us would love nothing better than to be able to get along with them and have a loving relationship, however, from what I've been reading on this website(and experienced myself)for the most part, it's the skids who create the jealousy and hatred towards the SM's. Most of us were taught to be respectful of any and all adults, no matter if you disagree with them, hate their guts or wish them dead, you certainly don't act like a hysterical, spoiled brat. There are better ways of expressing yourself and making your view heard other than creating disharmony between your DD and your SM, or vice versa. I know I'm more willing to listen to what my SD's have to say when they treat not only me, but my DH, with respect and courtesy and not having a hissy fit or screaming that it's their "right" to do something or have this or that.

As for the money issues, my DH was almost in bankruptcy for giving in to the kids every little whim - and unless you're very well off, and I'd venture to guess not that many of us on this website are, you have to watch your finances. I understand too, that it's all well and good to be able to give your kids a little extra every now and then, but when your kids are young adults you can't always afford to do that; and you shouldn't have to. A lot of kids have part time jobs to pay for their little "wants" (not needs, that's what CS is for)and it teaches responsibility. Unfortunately, my SD doesn't get this - she's got a year left of school and the kid is going to be in for a rude awakening because DH and I will not be her personal atm. Also, I might be a little more lenient with the funds if she was a little more respectful - but I'm not going to "buy" her love or respect.

Just remember, you never pay for your raising until you raise one of your own or God forbid, you inherit a skid from hell.

melis070179's picture

I think I got something a little different from Mystery23's opinion...I got that she was saying that he should love & respect her as his partner, tell his daughters this, and not lie to her but that she should also allow some one on one time between the daughters/father...and that in her situation it was also her father that was causing the possessiveness and insecurity in her SM...although her grammar is hard for me to follow so I may be wrong!

"Nobody will ever win the battle of the sexes. There's too much fraternizing with the enemy"

KittyKat's picture

I've been intending to respond to Mystery, also.

RESPECT is the key word. Mystery, you and your dad are not "equals". I'm sure your stepmum would love for you to ALL get along.

AND THAT IS THE KEY. YOU do not get to "decide" when she can be included or not. SHE IS YOUR DAD'S wife which means she holds NUMBER ONE rank in his life, whether you like it or not.
If she chooses to be included in ALL family activities, that is HER prerogative. If she and your dad work something out where she does things her HER family and he does things with HIS family, that is for THEM to work out. You are NOT a "partner" in the decision-making process of a MARRIED COUPLE.

My SDs wanted to be equals, too. What happened was that TWO of them were married (and, boy, don't ever let anyone interfere with THEIR marriages), and one had several nasty break-ups for the same reason that their dad and I have broken up on several occasions...meddlesome family members!! Now that they (Adult Ds)
KNOW what it's like to be a "couple", I think (so far it seems) that they RESPECT the concept a bit more.

I so agree with Jamaican that I was also taught to respect adults whether I like them or not. My dad (and many others ) have the "baby bird" theory...once the baby bird can fly, he/she gets his/her OWN NEST. As much as, sentimentally, you might wish to be "daddy's little girl" forever, the fact is there is a time when you need to stop obsessing over your dad and stepmum and get your OWN life!!

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."-Eleanor Roosevelt

Mystery23's picture

Yes melis your are correct in what your saying.

I don't really remember but my dad and mum slept together and my mum fell pregnant. This was when I was really young. Then my sister past away when she was 2 years old. Alot of this possessive, jealous and being insecure came from that. I believe I paid for their mistake and my poor sister past away. My father even annoyed me saying if my sister was alive he could not bring to his house because of my step-mum. This was before they married though he cheat on her with my mum. Ever since then my step-mum asked me how much money my dad gives me. If I said to my step-mum something that my dad had not told her she was flip and say well how comes he told tell me this. He tells you everything. Seriously I was treated badly by her. Its very long but as I grew up I became to dislike her. Hated visiting my father at weekends etc.

I'm 26 now and I do respect my step-mum. Although my father does still give me money behind her back. I do say no to the money which my father don't like but then I have to take it as he said its for my son. I honestly give up and really hate it all.
This would upset my step-mum because my step-brother has two boys and my dad is more closer to my son as he is his bio-grandchild. I leave them to it I do ring my dad and he does come down with my step-mum thats it. I would not say me and step-mum are best friends but we do get on and the last time I was up my dad I was in the kitchen helping her.All I ever wanted was my step-mum to accept me.
Sorry mizmel don't wanna take over your post lol.

Mystery23's picture

what your bf wrote:
My new girlfriend is very possesive and has made some mistakes early on into our relationship she was being bad doing what she likes to do knowing that I do not approve,in one instance her actions affected my youngest daughter directly, and at that time her skepticism of my girlfriend graduated into dislike and of course her older sister followed suite.
although I was able to forgive and forget my daughters have not until recently at the meeting i arranged. when they both exclaimed that whats in the past is past, they just want my girlfriend to stop being so possesive thats it.
Oh ya! and to stop giveing their dad so much grief when they want to spend time with him(just us time)I personelly wish that my girlfriend would stop discribeing my daughters as Bitches,Brats,no goods.

So I personally feel its not all down to your sd's. Its you aswell because whatever you DID affected his youngest and this would explain why they dislike you.
However he does as I said before need to support you more but he can't tell his daughters he wont go see them on his own. He can tell them he would like if they would accept you and he could bring you along. Then if your bring your child along they would feel well its not fair he sees more of my dad than I do. Thats why they may resent you aswell. Another thing you got to realise as your bf said they all divorced there mum and they became close and you coming in to their dads life is hard. They don't want their relationship with him to change.
This sounds alot harder on your sd's than what I had to go through. It sounds to me they do have their father running around but because they can't go to their mum as she is the way she is. It's him feeling guilty which he can't keep using the past as an excuse for their behaviour.

I see the eldest is married so she has her own life and its always the youngest one that is more threatened that she will not be daddys girls. Not sure if you plan to have anymore kids but if you had another baby and its a girl well my god she would feel totally hatred for you. Her dad will be torn then and believe he will. She probably the one who wishes mum and dad together. Personally I think if their dad was with someone else then they would be the same.
Hopefully it will all work out for you.

melis070179's picture

I think you've nailed exactly how the daughters feel...but I think what the rest of us are saying is that its not right for the father to enable their behaviors. They can feel that way all they want, its their right, but regardless of how they feel they should still respect her & not try to come between them because they are not part of their relationship. Her BF needs to put his foot down with his daughters and not allow how they treat her, regardless of how they feel about her. Instead he is lying to Mizmel to cover his ass about going out with the daughters all day, which makes them happy & encourages this behavior. He's putting their feelings before Mizmel's & thats just not right. I understand why you see it from the daughters perspective, since you were in a similar situation with your own dad & stepmom. I also have been there at some points with my mom & stepdad and also my dad & stepmom, but I never in a million years would've disrespected either step parent regardless if I was angry or thought I didn't like them at some point. I don't think I had enough power to come between them because they never gave it to me. Which was a good lesson for me. My mom & stepdad have been married for 26 years, my dad & stepmom for 25 years. That wouldn't be the case if they didn't put eachother first & present a united front to us children.

"Nobody will ever win the battle of the sexes. There's too much fraternizing with the enemy"

welcometomylife's picture

Mimzel,

I've read your threads and those of your boyfriend's as well as all the responses and wonder if it's possible there's something else, or rather SOMEONE else at the bottom of all this.

It's mostly coming from your younger SD, who's made it clear she'd like nothing better than to see her parents reconcile? Maybe if she was 10 years old, but what would ever even possess a grown college student to dwell on something like that instead of concentrating on building her own life--unless of course, she's being manipulated and coached.

So, how's mom's getting along with her BF these days? Is it possible mom sees your moving in, and living with her X as a threat to her ability to hold on and control him? If they divorced because of her alcoholism, might she imagine all she'd have to do is sober up and he'd come running back? Are you a threat to her fantasy of continuing to regard her X as her "back up plan"? If she's an alcoholic, would you really put it past her to use and manipulate her children to prevent their dad from finding happiness with you, or any woman other than her?

Most people tend to believe what they WANT to believe. Most children also desire their parents reconciliation, so it really doesn't matter what you BF may have told them to the contrary--not if mommy's been telling them the exact opposite. They'll believe her because she's saying what they WANT to hear. This is why it's extremely important for both parents to explain to their children in no uncertain terms that reconcilation is not going to happen--for their benefit. Feeding a child false hope prevents them from gaining closure--enabling them to let go and move on. It's not just irresponsible, it's downright abusive.

There are some parents who are so self-involved in their own pain following divorce that they will manipulate and exploit their children for their own personal agenda of seeking revenge or retaining control over their X. The damage this does to their child's mental wellbeing and ability to ever find and enjoy a normal healthy future relationship doesn't even cross their mind. Most children love their parents, and seeing one of them unhappy, ill (or constantly drunk) causes them pain. So it wouldn't take any special talent for their mother to con her daughters into believing that she will sober up, daddy will want her back and they'll all be happy forever--if only his evil GF wasn't standing in the way! Great starting point for then manipulating them them into finding some fault in you, any ammunition she can exploit to con them into seeing you as the evil villian and do nasty things to you because after all, it's OK to do rotten hideous things to an evil villian.

If this may be the case, I recommend you don't continue to supply them with any additional ammunition to use against you. You're not responsible for helping to raise them and they're not living with you so you really don't even have to talk to them. You don't have to let them drag their father off on their own either, go along and if they say something nasty to or about you, ignore them as if they don't exist. Instead, whip out your cell phone to call your friends, or take along a portable gaming console to play. I have a Nintendo DS I bought just for this purpose. Ear phones make it easy to block out everything they say. Oh, I have 2 SDs myself and we got along wonderfully--until their mom divorced her last husband, at which point their attitude towards me became suddenly nasty and contemptuous.

How did I convince my husband that his daughters were intentionally trying to undermine me to sabotague our marriage for their mother's sake? I didn't. That's what they were hoping I'd do! They're accomplished little actresses who play "innocent angels" rather convincingly, and coming from me would have only placed him in the position of having to defend his daughters from what he would have perceived as my unprovoked, viscious attack. That would have only accomplished his daughters' goal of getting us to fight with each other. If I had taken their bait, we just might have ended up divorced. I had to let him come to the realization himself. So I provided them with lots of rope to hang themselves with, and watched as they grew ever more desperate in their attempts to provoke me, until they finally went so far across the line, my husband could no longer ignore their behavior to remain in denial. You should have seen the look of shock on their faces when they realized their little plan had backfired as their dad rose up to defend ME instead. My husband doesn't get angry often, but when he does, it's scary. I think he literally terrified them because they haven't pulled any crap or said a single word against me since.

When his daughters failed, my husband's X revealed herself by coming after my husband herself. It got so bad we finally had an attorney draft her a letter threatening stalking and harrassment charges, along with a restraining order if she ever came near either one of us again.

Hope this helps. Best of luck!

driven to tears's picture

I am going through the same thing with my vindictive,jealous,spoiled and self-entitled SD who, by the way, is married with two kids. She has also convinced my SSs wife who also has two children,and who, by the way, kicked my SD and her husband out of her house twice within the past year while living with them.She saw how manipulative and power hungry she was-trying to take over her house and her husband, who is also SDs brother! SD and 4 yr older SS relationship along with her fathers, has been too intimate to people that see their interactions.SS was caught molesting her while at their moms.Their are many other instances of inappropriately close behavior with SD and her brother and father. (I have a gut feeling about sexual behavior happening between them)and my family has seen it as well as a couple of people in their family who revealed some behaviors.They have shunned me to their own advantage (needing place to stay, money, babysitting, party, etc)and esp. my son, until his wife got pregnant and SD was looking for someone else to try to manipulate and use.SD has always used people for her own gain and ego and expects everyone, esp men to worship her and put her on pedestal.So all of the sudden, she started acted like she liked my son, just to manipulate him and wife since my son and DIL don't have married friends with kids. I raised the Skids and their kids consider me their grandmother.My own bio-sons new wife-which in the very recent past had shunned my son;he wanted so much to be a part of their little club that he refuses to remember/admit all the things they did to him as a child. He developed teenage resentments and has depression. I took him to counseling but he didn't want to go to school or obey house rules. He started acting out at 15 after discovering pot and after being an honor roll student all his life and began acting like my SS and SD had growing up. I didn't tolerate those behaviors from any of the kids so my own son moved out at 18 because he was stealing from us and wouldn't admit it, along with other destructive and argumentative behaviors.He decided to move out. My mother had to live with us/then come over after school so I had someone to watch out for them. She has never expressed hatred towards kids until she saw how they treated him and how sneaky they were.They shunned them until his wife got pregnant and SD was looking for someone else to try to break up my marriage.So all of the sudden, she started acted like she liked my son, just to manipulate him and wife since my son and DIL don't have married friends with kids. We also had our own son together.I raised the skids since they were young and have always had a problem with hubby not seeing how manipulative and vindictive SD has become. SS had serious psychological problems before I met him. Husband refused to get him help-in denial about their behavior which impacted my own son from 1st marriage. The two Skids and my husband were always excluding me and my own son in conversations, bullying my son and making fun of him in front of the family.Skids started calling me "mom" om their own and we have always considered ourselves a family, though not perfect. I really tried, mad mistakes, tried again-we had our own family traditions and my family stepped up when their BM and their dads family didn't help and were barely in their lives. With four kids I worked full-time and also did all of the mom things for these kids and their kids. Their BM has always been a drug addict and flitted in and out of their lives-not keeping promises to pick them up, no CS or help whatsoever. Her boyfriends and drugs always came first while I did all the work and discipline all these years.The stress of my own husband not believing me me when any of the kids were doing things that needed parental attention has broken me down after 22 years. I also developed health related problems which stopped me from being the "supermom" that had all the parties, cooked for entire family on holidays, planned vacations and took care of everything! Husband did help with cooking while I was working and some chores.Now that I don't wait on SD and her kids, she has been out to make our life miserable. She uses the grandkids as blackmail until I just stopped asking to see them. Now, we aren't allowed at their houses hardly at all since her baby was born in Jan and she was done using me for gifts, babysitting, etc.I found out that my SS had let his Meth addicted mother move in with him and their two young children around that time.Their own mother wasn't even their for the birth, I was! They were trying to hide it from us. She was still doing it but SS and esp. Skids just forgave everything she had put them through and cut us out. In May after using again and died in SDs home. It was a loss to them and I did feel bad for them so I supported them even while SD was treating me like crap. I had never badmouthed their mom through all the trouble she caused.WE came over daily, watched grandkids, brought food,supported them at wake and I talked about how we needed to be a family and not treat people like crap cuz you never know. That didn't last two weeks until they were acting the same way. I am so hurt that they not only now worship their mom, who has done more terrible things than you can imagine and put them in life-threatening situations. She treated them like her buddies instead of a parent and now I'm the wicked SM!She abandoned them when SD was 1 yr old for husbands best friend!-I can't take it anymore. Husband is the problem by letting his kids treat me this way and acting like I'm crazy whenever I tell him about their behaviors for 20 years. He has not stuck up for me or protected me. Why do so many men have no b@lls when it comes to disciplining their kids, esp daughters?! Its like he is afraid of her! How can I convince him that this is common behavior in stepfamilies and that if he wants to save our marriage he has to lay down the law and insist I be treated with respect, even if we don't have a regular family relationship anymore? I am ready to leave or checkout because I can't take it any longer.

driven to tears's picture

LOL-She was the ninja showing up after midnight when she was supposed to pick kids up at 6pm!
Anything that makes me laugh and forget is a blessing so thanks! Smile