Grrr.... Apologies in advance if I rant.
My son is 15 and his father sees him only a few times a year, as he doesn't organise regular visits. He never gets involved with any parenting at all, doesn't even bother to make sure he brushes his teeth.
My gripe is that as his Dad lavishes him with love when he sees him, puts me down a lot but in manipulative ways, and has been telling my son what to do about girls, about drinking, about his career and school choices. His girlfriend even chooses my sons clothes.
Yet he has no idea of our sons day to day struggles, his school, never ever been to a school play, parent teacher meeting, no idea about health issues or exams. All of these are me. But my son is taking his ideas on board and going to him and not me for any advice. He says it's fine to drink, took him to a festival and let him do what he wanted. He wants him to go into the same business as he is in, and now my son has 'decided' to do the same thing too. Out of the blue.
I've bought him up virtually single handedly since he was a baby. We moved closer to my family some years ago. Now that I'm being undermined I'm not sure how much longer I can keep holding it all together. I also wonder, what is the point? I know we're supposed to give unconditional love, but I feel like a complete martyr doing all yet not even able to help guide my own son like other parents.
AIBU?