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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be furious with DSS!

111 replies

nevermindimfine · 18/10/2019 23:59

DSS is being really difficult at the minute, really kicking off at DH. Saying that he isn't a dad, more like a friend or uncle. Refusing to see DH etc.
it's breaking my DH as he constantly feels torn, can do no right. He took the dog out yesterday and I was genuinely worried he wouldn't come back. DH found out at the last minute that DSS had a school presentation (he wasn't receiving anything) DH had plans to celebrate a major milestone with my family. DSS told DH that wasn't a good excuse for not being there. My husband is broken and I'm furious that this child and his mother are putting him through hell, for no good reason. I want to tell the pair of them that I'm genuinely worried for DH and it's them that are driving him into a deep depression.

OP posts:
PleaseNoFortnite · 19/10/2019 09:11

Sorry - am I missing something? Where does the OP say that DSS is 13, or that it's a 75th birthday party?

Innertwist · 19/10/2019 09:22

What a surprise. The vipers pounce on a step mother.

Looks like they swallowed her whole.

MaureenSowerbutts · 19/10/2019 09:22

As a step child and a step mother YABU

This your husband's son and although you don't give any information about what has happened in the past I'd say that he is feeling, sad, angry, rejected and maybe like his whole world has changed depending on his age and he has little or no control

If either of my dss had any sort of presentation/school event that would have taken priority over any family event of mine. Sorry if he can't do both he should be there for his son.

I think when you get involved with someone who already has children you accept that that relationship is the priority and you will be second to that.

Being a stepmum is hard, being a stepchild can be even harder. You and your husband are the adults here.

LIZS · 19/10/2019 09:23

There have been a few threads form same poster recently, pp are joining the dots. Your dh needs to prioritise your dss occasionally and enforce boundaries. Why can he not manage to balance both? A teen does push buttons.

stuffedpeppers · 19/10/2019 09:25

Unreasonable attitude.
My DCs father turned up to nothing whilst he was with his first new DP.
Ex never asked about stuff, had no contact with school etc.

Moved out and that week, I took him with me to an event - I will never forget the look of shock and sheer joy on my DCs face to see his Dad there. The grin lasted throughout the event and did not stop. I remember poking my Ex - telling him to do a thumbs up, so DC knew he had seen him and just remember that kid loves you despite the crap that you do . DC went round telling everyone this is my Dad - he was so proud. Ex did not know about the dates but really it was not DCs responsibility to tell him.

Anyone on here who says the kids do not care if you turn up - are delusional.

The child who tells their father - they need to be a Dad, not a friend is very clearly articulating that the set up is not right. Your DP needs to man up and work out the solution with his son. Stop blaming everyone else.

And as for your family events taking precedent - been there and when it comes to his child they are not more important. My Ex went to her fathers anniversary meal, rather than come to the hospital appointment where he knew they were deciding on major surgery for his child. Never ever will I forgive him that decision - luckily DC too young to understand that one.

StillCoughingandLaughing · 19/10/2019 09:25

And yawn right back because it's totally predictable.

That doesn’t even make sense.

BloggersBlog · 19/10/2019 09:26

@PleaseNoFortnite I was wondering the same! It's a 'drop the mic' post at the moment with just the opening post.

StillCoughingandLaughing · 19/10/2019 09:27

Sorry - am I missing something? Where does the OP say that DSS is 13, or that it's a 75th birthday party?

I don’t know about the age thing, but the 75th birthday was just an example a PP used. Other posters have skim-read and assumed this is actually the event.

IceCreamAndCandyfloss · 19/10/2019 09:38

The fact that you call him “child” in this and your other thread says a lot. The other thread also was about him not coming over due to your plans too.

Telling a child they are causing an adult to have Delois beyond the pale imo. I’d have stopped contact as the RP for that.

He’s a child and 13. He should be first in his father’s eyes behind any new relationship and family. No wonder he is angry, he clearly knows the situation and where he lies in the pecking order.

ShitOnIt78 · 19/10/2019 09:38

please OP has posted about her 13 year old SS before

Isitme13 · 19/10/2019 09:48

Why did your dh not know about the school event?

He needs to be more proactive about funding this stuff out.

Do not try to lay the blame for your dh’s mental health on your dss. He is a child.

Notnowokay · 19/10/2019 10:05

What school emails separated parents about school events?

My children school have an app where they send all information pertaining to their school year. You can also report absence on it. I, dh and dm have it downloaded onto our phones. Dm picks up ds1 sometimes and she asked to get one on her phone.

NoCauseRebel · 19/10/2019 10:35

Yet again because it's a stepson it's not his fault the dad needs to do more, what if his dad is bending over backwards and his still behaving like this if the OP hadn't written stepson the answers would have been different if a woman was posting on here that her child had said her dh wasn’t a proper father people would be questioning just how involved this man was in his child’s life actually.

Haven’t read the other threads (yet) but if this child is thirteen then he is at a point in his life where he feels the world should evolve around him unfortunately it seems that a lot of NRP’s (men usually I’m afraid to say) seem to feel that there rights and those of their partners and new families are more important than their existing children’s.

The school event is a red herring. He didn’t just decide his father isn’t a father based on that one event and neither did you decide that your H has depression because of that one event. There is a bigger picture here, and you simply cannot just decide that the child is entirely to blame.

And it may be that there are two sides to this, i.e. the father is to blame for not putting in the effort and the teenager is, well, a teenager and will have his moments as well, and the two don’t always make for a good combination. But your dh also has some responsibility towards his child here.

Oh, and the wish to tell him that he is the cause of his dad’s depression? Yeah. My eXH’s DP tried to pull that shit when my DS was about the same age.

I suspect that in his case he is torn between a woman who insists that he put her and her children ahead of our DS, and the realisation that DS sees what goes on and has stepped back because of it. They have almost no relationship now and he refuses to stay there because of her.

StillCoughingandLaughing · 19/10/2019 10:56

Yet again because it's a stepson it's not his fault the dad needs to do more, what if his dad is bending over backwards and his still behaving like this if the OP hadn't written stepson the answers would have been different

The answers would have been different if the OP had shared a single shred of evidence that her husband had done anything to make his son feel differently. If the dad was “bending over backwards”, surely the OP would be desperate to tell us?

JoxerGoesToStuttgart · 19/10/2019 11:05

All I know is if either of my DC were saying I wasn’t a proper mum- more like an aunt or a friend then it would be a huge wake up call for me. Kids love the cool aunt, if it gets to the point where they’re actually asking you to stop being the cool friend and parent then you’ve been seriously slacking as a parent and the child is really feeling it. Children don’t normally ask their parents to parent. They don’t normally need to. If he’s saying this then he’s really feeling something is missing from his dad and if it was my child all other social engagements would be off until I’d found out exactly what my child needed from me and gotten myself back on track. It’s really quite serious when a child is having to ask a dad to parent him.

JoxerGoesToStuttgart · 19/10/2019 11:08

And even if this is just the DSS attention seeking then DH needs to find out why. Secure children don’t need to attention seek. They’re already having their needs met. If DSS is just acting out for his dads attention it means he isn’t currently getting what he needs from his dad. Again- DHs job to find out what then DS needs and work on providing it.

rededucator · 19/10/2019 12:47

I keep thinking about the presentation. Yes he told his dad last minute but young teenage boys are hardly known for their memories or organization skills. And your comment that he's 'not even being presented with anything' must highlight to him that not only is he not important enough to go watch but if he'd been better and won something he might just be worthy. Your DP says to your family that his SON has an important event so obviously he'll be intending that instead of your family event. It's really that simple OP.

Grannybags · 19/10/2019 12:55

Is the DSS saying that Dad feels more like an uncle etc not a cry for help? I would think that he is asking for Dad to be more involved with him.

KarmaStar · 19/10/2019 13:04

Op?

Fournearlyfive · 19/10/2019 13:51

Sotiredofthislife

Mine was the same re treating me like a secretary so I got him added on to the contacts (previously there was no point as he cant pick her up in an emergency so I needed contacts on there that could if I couldnt)

Anyway he got so fed up with the text messages saying how parents shouldn't use the car park, don't use side entrance as it is icy etc as they weren't relevant to him (why would they be he's never done a school run) that he had me change it back. Then moaned he didn't know about sports day/nativity etc.

Hmm just wanted me to spoon feed him the info then like I wasn't working, studying on the side and raising our DD alone 95% of the time.

DriftingLeaves · 19/10/2019 13:57

And yawn right back because it's totally predictable.

It's totally predictable that the vipers will strike. Not sure why you found that hard to understand/.

JoxerGoesToStuttgart · 19/10/2019 17:38

that he had me change it back

Why on earth did you do it? Confused tell him do his own work.

ThatssomebadhatHarry · 19/10/2019 17:40

It sounds like you are the problem and your step son is taking it out on you.

ThatssomebadhatHarry · 19/10/2019 17:41

Your dh

StillCoughingandLaughing · 19/10/2019 17:45

It's totally predictable that the vipers will strike. Not sure why you found that hard to understand.

Because you’ve completely missed the point. You’ve assumed it’s a stepparent issue when, actually, most people just think the OP and her husband (not a stepparent) are being selfish.

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