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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To expect STEPSON to go to his mum's every other weekend?

701 replies

slowcooker · 17/01/2014 20:10

This is a rant to get it off my system because I'm fuming right now.

After a long negotiation we persuaded stepson to go to his mum's this weekend but he's not going now because apparently his room there is wet and small and blah blah blah a list long of excuses why he won't go.

When I got together with my DH, 7years ago, he had 50% custody of his 2 kids and they were with him 50% of the time. It was on a rolling rota basis to accommodate the ex's shift pattern. I would look forward to the (approx) 9 weekends a year we had without the kids! The years have gone by, both kids are teenagers now they are more independent, the eldest lives with the EX full time and the stepson with us full time (for the past 9 months). In the meantime we have our almost 3 year old DD. And I'm stuck in a battle to secure sometime for DH and me as a couple!

Things are rather bad between us. If having a child changes the dynamics in a relationship imagine having a child in a blended family!

That together with work pressures (I have been working full time since DD was 11 months) and general stresses are not helping my mental well being. I feel I've hit rock bottom recently. I had some other issues at work and resigned in December.
We've been so busy with an extension and this and that, that we've not even been able to relax and sit and watch telly for months on end until the NEW year. And even now it seems like we're passing ships all the time.

I don't have family around here and DH has a sister who is lovely and helpful but she's only ever babysat for us once in the last 3 years and I don't want to impose on her as she helped a lot with my DH's other 2 kids when they were little.

At the moment whilst my DD is little the only solution to some quality time for us is to be in the house just the 2 of us (in the evenings I mean after little one has gone to bed) as we don't get to see each other as a couple any more. In any case we were never the going out type (just cinema really) but rather we would go on days out, bike excursions etc and stayed in for a nice meal and film.

I don't think this is too much to ask. I think we'll end up separating ourselves if we don't get some quality time together on a regular basis!

I feel resentful towards my stepson and his mum (for not providing him with a decent room) and my DH for not putting boundaries to people.

I want some space with just my DH and myself in our house! 2 evenings every 15 days is it too much to ask? 2 evenings where I don't have to think what is stepson going to eat (fussy eater) and of sitting in peace to maybe watch something like a film without someone barding in.

And even when I can walk around naked if I fell like it for goodness sake..

Not in a good place at all!

OP posts:
Bloodyteenagers · 17/01/2014 21:14

Explain then to the rest of us that don't get it.
What is there to get exactly?
You get with someone that has a child. You also get involved with that child. If that means that child is living with the parent that you are fucking, well as an adult you deal with it. If you are not prepared to deal with that, and realise the sun don't shine around you, well, you don't get involved.. You don't get to pick and chose the bits you want to deal with. Just in the same way bio parents don't get to pick and choose.

ProfessorDoredumble · 17/01/2014 21:15

YABU.

Thatisall · 17/01/2014 21:15

I know a hell of a lot of blended families. Most are scrapping over who gets the children because they want to have them more! I feel so sorry for this child and hope he realised that this is not normal, not ok and isn't how he should treat his own potential dc or dsc in the future.

We all have a responsibility for our own mental health. If something is going wrong it's rarely caused by just one thing, aspect or person. It's foolish to think it does and cruel to suggest that it is a child's presence. Being a step parent is different I'm sure but being an adult is the same whatever type of parent you are. The way this boy is described and apparently considered within his home sounds very hostile.

I any imagine how bad his mother's house must be for him to choose this hostility over going there.

I can't stop looking at this thread it's really quite upsetting and OP I was an unwanted, inconvenient step child too. It damaged my ability to form relationships for a long time and I will never forgive my sf or indeed my mother for allowing me to be treated badly.

What dare I ask does your husband think?

Sparklysilversequins · 17/01/2014 21:15

Curiosity. I am a lone parent of two children with autism. I KNOW what exhausted is. My dsis suggests I send my ds on "respite" so that I may get a break. That would make him scared and miserable so I wouldn't consider it. I'm no martyr but I carve out time for myself in other ways and adjust my expectations accordingly. What I don't do is send a CHILD off somewhere he will be miserable just so that I can get my alone time. You just don't do that.

MostWicked · 17/01/2014 21:18

He is a child.
He is your husband's son.
What type of father do you want your husband to be?
Do you want him to treat your DD as his favourite child?
How would you feel if he treated her in the same dismissive way that you want him to treat his son?

needaholidaynow · 17/01/2014 21:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Thatisall · 17/01/2014 21:19

I think the OP must be busy wandering around naked

Thisisaghostlyeuphemism · 17/01/2014 21:20

Meh, there is a mother here who has opted out of parenting and it's not the op.

She says she is not in a good place right now, she's in full time work with a young child, struggling in her relationship and came here for some support.

I think getting him to babysit is a good idea.

Thatisall · 17/01/2014 21:22

Thisisaghost where does it say that the child's mother doesn't want to be a parent? The other step son is living with her.

Thisisaghostlyeuphemism · 17/01/2014 21:22

She's opted out of parenting this one tho, hasn't she?

Floggingmolly · 17/01/2014 21:23

Why have you capitalised STEPSON like that? To emphasise that he's not yours? But he is your DH's child and he has a perfect right to be with whichever parent he chooses.
I take it your dh has no problem with this?

DameEdnasBridesmaid · 17/01/2014 21:23

Really some extremely judgemental people who haven't a clue

Ziplex Maybe, but there are also a lot of people on here who have got a clue because they are the Step parent, or have been that Step child.

Mim78 · 17/01/2014 21:24

YABU.

As everyone has said this is his home.

Thatisall · 17/01/2014 21:24

thisisaghost. Where does it say that? So one son lives with her, one son doesn't? Doesn't mean she's opted out. Means that perhaps one son wanted to live with his dad. Made the mistake of thinking he'd be welcome.

humha · 17/01/2014 21:26

Wine A very articulate lone parent of two children with autism Sparkly. Well done you.

Where has she (the OP) pissed off to then?

I always wonder why people ask for another way of seeing things, then when they get it, if it doesn't suit them, they piss off. I mean why ask?

ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 17/01/2014 21:29

If your DD goes to nursery then get your DH to take some time off so you can talk with no children around. I don't think your DSS is the issue. You appear to be struggling with some MH issues and some relationship issues plus you can't relax because of the building work. Sometimes when you feel down you tend to latch on to one or two things as the magic solutions that will fix everything - they don't really work - but it's easier than facing to just how bad you are feeling. Have you seen your GP?

Owllady · 17/01/2014 21:29

The boy is allowed to live with his Dad, thats nice :)
Normal
Surely if step son is an older teenager he can babysit for the Scottish anyway
Look at the positives
You bought in with a man with children, this is how it is.

missymarmite · 17/01/2014 21:29

Needaholidaynow - so true. Unconditional love can't be forced! Kindness and compassion can. Something that appears to lacking on this thread somewhat!

Talk about knocking someone when they are down! Poor woman sounds depressed and everyone just seems to be intent on making her feel worse! She needs support to cope with the situation, not condemnation!

That said, OP, you need to look at this from the pov of DSS. I feel sympathy for you, but more for him TBH. He obviously is avoiding going to mums (why?), very sad. How does she feel about it? Doesn't she miss her child? Could you and DH help to get to the bottom of the real reason why he doesn't want to go, and try to resolve that?

And please, go to see your GP and make sure that you get any help possible to deal with your emotional state. They can refer you to councelling, and if it's more serious, meds might help.

Thisisaghostlyeuphemism · 17/01/2014 21:29

Well, I would be gutted if ds wouldn't come home
.
I'm surprised the mum is not making any effort to welcome him. Can't understand it.

Owllady · 17/01/2014 21:30

Pmsl at Scottish:o
I meant your dd

Bloodyteenagers · 17/01/2014 21:30

Ghost. Has it not occurred to you that maybe the one with the op wanted to live with his dad?
So how comes it's only mum that has opted out of parenting? What about dad? He has another child, at least one more anyway, living elsewhere and he is wanted to kick his other child out every other weekend because of the inconvenience.

Thisisaghostlyeuphemism · 17/01/2014 21:34

Yeah the younger one wants to live with the dad. That's fine. But he doesn't want to go to his mums at all now.

That's a problem, no?

Thatisall · 17/01/2014 21:34

thisisaghost so the dh is opting out of parenting the son that lives with his mother? Is that right? Ffs how sexist?! Teenagers are absolutely entitled to say where they would rather live. It doesn't mean the mother wouldn't want him living with her. Lots of assumptions being made

Owllady · 17/01/2014 21:35

I know sometimes this isn't a popular view on mn or in life
But you have children and you have to be responsible for them, they have feel safe and feel loved
You and your h have provided that
What you want is secondary really

I know that's hard, but that is the reality of being a parent

And before I am jumped . On. I had a baby at 21 who was severely disabled and I had to cope with that and her because that is what I had to do, that's what most people do. We get on and are happy with what we have. Life us not like the Hollywood dream

Thisisaghostlyeuphemism · 17/01/2014 21:36

The young teen won't stay with his mum. That's a problem whether its sexist or not.